Ancient Indian Education: An Inquiry into its Origin, Development, and Ideals c4.130.1

c4.130.1

The different Vedas arose, as we have seen, as collections primarily intended for different classes of priests. Every Brāhmanic family became devoted to the study of a particular Veda, and to a particular *śākhā* or recension of that Veda. The domestic rites of that family are performed according to the ritual described in the *Sūtras* connected with that Veda. It became then of the first importance that the exact text of that particular Veda, with the *Brāhmaṇas* and *Āraṇyakas* or *Upanishads*, as well as of the *Sūtras* attached to them, should be handed down from generation to generation. Now, writing was not known in India till 800 B.C., when it was introduced by traders coming by way of Mesopotamia. And although the complete Sanskrit alphabet on phonetic principles must have existed by 500 B.C., this being the alphabet recognized by the great grammarian, Pāṇini, who flourished in the fourth century B.C., writing was at first used chiefly for trading and other similar purposes, and it was a long time before it came to be used for the sacred books.¹ Probably these were considered too holy to be committed to writing, and there was also the fear that they might get into the hands of unauthorized persons. In course of time they were all committed to writing, but oral tradition was still the method relied on for handing down the sacred text.