The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c11.6

c11.6

But this contradictory valuation, running from transcendent elevation through indifference to outright rejection, should put us on our guard. On one hand, from the beginning, the Veda has not lacked in controversy. On the other hand, its extensive body of texts has been preserved in all its intricacy with unique faithfulness, which is all the more remarkable when one considers India's otherwise rather cavalier fashion of managing its textual heritage. Both the controversy surrounding it and the care spent on its preservation place the Veda in a class by itself. They may be considered as typical symptoms of the documents left by the Axial Age.