Niyamavidhi

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Niyamavidhi literally means ‘restrictive injunction’.

According to the Purvamimānsā Darśana, the fifth in the series of Saḍdarśanas or Six Systems of Philosophy, the Vedas are full of vidhis[1] and niṣedhas.[2] One of the various methods of classification of these vidhis is into three groups:

  1. Apurvavidhi - injunction of something quite new
  2. Niyamavidhi - restrictive injunction
  3. Parisañkhyāvidhi - precluding one by injunction when two alternatives are possible

For preparing the puroḍāśa,[3] pounded rice is needed. Though un-husked rice can be de-husked by hand using the fingers or by pounding with a pestle, the Śruti restricts it to the second method as a rule. The sentence ‘vrīhīn avahanti’[4] is the example for a niyamavidhi.


References[edit]

  1. Vidhis means injunctions.
  2. Niṣedhas means prohibitions.
  3. Puroḍāśa means rice-cake.
  4. It means ‘He pounds the rice’.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore