शेषत्वात्पुरुषार्थवादो यथाऽन्येष्विति जैमिनिः ॥ २ ॥
śeṣatvātpuruṣārthavādo yathā’nyeṣviti jaiminiḥ || 2 ||
śeṣatvāt—On account of being supplementary (to sacrificial acts); puruṣa-arthavādaḥ—are mere praise of the agent; yathā—even as; anyeṣu—in other cases; iti—thus (says) jaiminiḥ—Jaimini.
2. Because (the Self) is supplementary (to sacrificial acts), (the fruits of the knowledge of the Self) are mere praise of the agent, even as in other cases; thus says Jaimini.
According to Jaimini the Vedas merely prescribe acts to attain certain purposes including Liberation, and nothing more. He argues that the knowledge of the Self does not yield any independent results, as Vedanta holds, but is connected with the acts through the agent. No one undertakes a sacrificial act unless he is conscious of the fact that he is different from the body and that after death, he will go to heaven, where he will enjoy the results of his sacrifices. Texts dealing with Self-knowledge serve merely to enlighten the agent and so are subordinate to sacrificial acts. The fruits, however, which the Vedanta texts declare with regard to Self-knowledge are merely praise, even as texts declare such results by way of praise with respect to other matters. In short, Jamini holds that by the knowledge that his Self will outlive the body, the agent becomes qualified for sacrificial actions even as other things become fit in sacrifices through purificatory ceremonies.