On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c8.s6.3

v1.c8.s6.3

The statement here made to the effect that the Sanskrit alphabet was invented by the god Brahmā is repeated in several other books by Buddhist writers. Some tell us that Brahmā was once a rājah on earth, and that he then invented an alphabet of 72 letters called the “Kharu writing” (佉樓書). Disgusted with the bad treatment given to these letters he proceeded to swallow them all; but two, *a* and *au* escaped from his mouth and remained among men.¹ But we are also told that Brahmā invented the Brahma writing first, and that afterwards Kharoshtha produced the script which bears his name.² Another account represents the Brahman writing (or Devanagari) to have been the invention of a wise (kovida) Brahmin, and the Kharu writing to have been the work of a stupid (kharu) rishi. This Kharu writing is that mentioned in the Lalitavistara and other books under the name Kharoshtha (or Kharosta). This word is translated by “Ass-ear”, and is the name of an ancient rishi who was a great astronomer and astrologer. In some Buddhist treatises we find the invention of letters ascribed to the Buddha, and in some Siva, as in Indian tradition, is credited with the first teaching of spelling and writing.³ The “forty seven words” of our passage are the twelve symbols which represent the ten vowels, and anusvāra and visarga, and the thirty-five consonants; and so constitute the alphabet. The letters admit of endless combinations to make words as objects require names and circumstances need expression. Some authors give the number of the letters in the Sanskrit alphabet as less, and others as more, than the number here given; but this is generally regarded as the correct number. With the statements here made by Yuan-chuang about the Sanskrit alphabet and language we may compare the more detailed account given in the third chuan of the Life.¹