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:
- Apurvavidhi - injunction of something quite new
- Niyamavidhi - restrictive injunction
- 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]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore