pū́rvam (am), ind. before (also as a prep. with abl.), formerly, hitherto, previously (sometimes with pres.), [RV.] &c. &c. (often ibc., e.g. pūrva-kārin, active before, pūrvokta, said before; also ifc. in the sense of ‘with’ e.g. prīti-pūrvam, with love; mati-pūrvam with intention, intentionally; mṛdu-pūrva-√ bhāṣ, to speak kindly; cf. above; also with an ind.p., e.g. pūrva-bhojam, or -bhuktvā, having eaten before, [Pāṇ. iii, 4, 24]; adya-p°, until now, hitherto; previously -tataḥ, first-then; pūrva-paścāt, previously-afterwards; pūrva-upari, previously-subsequently; pūrva-adhūnā or adya, formerly-now)
pūrva—mīmāṃsā f. ‘inquiry into or interpretation of the first or Mantra portion of the Veda’, N. of the system of philosophy attributed to Jaimini (as opp. to uttara-m°, which is an inquiry into the later or Upaniṣad portion; the pūrva-m° is generally called the M°, and in interpreting the Vedic text discusses the doctrine of the eternity of sound identified with Brahma, [IW. 98] &c.)