India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashtadhyayi c10.s1.35

c10.s1.35

There are several *sūtras* relating to details about recitation. Firstly, there is provision to indicate the number of repetitions (*adhyayana*) required to memorise the text (V.1.58), *e.g.* *pañchaka adhyayana*, reciting (*āvṛitti*) a text five times, repeating its words five times (*Pañcha vāra*), and in five ways (*pañcha rūpa*, *Kāśikā*); similarly *saptaka*, *ashṭaka*, *navaka* referring to higher numbers. Secondly, there were appropriate phrases to express faults in recitation, by way of an individual word pronounced wrongly (*padaṁ mithyā kārayate*), or accents in a faulty manner (*svarādi dushṭam*), and repeating the mistakes (*asakṛit uchchārayati*; *Mithyopapadāt kriño' bhyāse*, I.3.71). Finally, students were tested with reference to the number of mistakes committed in recitation (*Karmādhyayane vṛittam*, IV.4.63-64), *aikānyika*, *i.e.* one who at the time of examination (*parīkshā-kāle*) commits one mistake (*Kāśikā*); similarly *dvaiyanyika*, *traiyanyika*, and so on up to ten. The Sanskrit words for numerals up to ten consist of two syllables. But Pāṇini also teaches the manner of indicating the lapses when the numeral is of more than two syllables (*bahvach*, IV.4.64), *e.g.* *dvādaśānyika*, *trayodaśānyika*, *chaturdaśānyika*, one with 12, 13, or 14 mistakes in recitation. This method of oral teaching and committing texts to memory has amply justified itself by the conservation and transmission of India's sacred learning through the ages before it was stored up by writing in manuscripts. The secret of success of this oral tradition (*śruti*) lies in the faith that sacred words by themselves have a value and should be treasured up in memory as abiding stores of knowledge.