On the Origin of the Indian Brahma Alphabet c7.s3.49

c7.s3.49

Finally, the fact that the Brāhma alphabet is the work of the Brahmans has also, it seems to me, a certain bearing on the vexed question whether in ancient times writing was used for literary purposes. I believe that it enables us to answer this question in the affirmative, of course with certain reservations. For the Brahmans, though often considered mere dreamers, are in reality very practical people, who, as far as my observation goes, do not take and never have taken trouble with anything that does not serve their purposes. As they adapted the Semitic letters to the wants of their sacred language in a very thorough manner, I consider it certain that they also utilised their invention at once for their special aims, the cultivation of learning, and that they committed at least their scientific compositions to writing. It is not necessary, nor even probable, that in early times the MSS. were used otherwise than *esoterically*, as auxiliaries for composition and for the preservation of the texts, much in the manner suggested by Geheimrath von Böhtlingk, Professor Whitney and Dr. Burnell.¹