Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c12.s6.46

c12.s6.46

**Merits of the Method.** Thus this wonderful mnemonic system was developed to aid the memory in its responsible work of preserving the nation's sacred literature, and there is no doubt that it admirably achieved its work. As remarked by Max Müller, "the texts of the Veda have been handed down to us with such accuracy that there is hardly a variant reading in the proper sense of the word, or even an uncertain accent, in the whole of the Rigveda. There are corruptions in the text which can be discovered by critical investigation; but even these corruptions must have formed part of the recognized text since it was finally settled. Some of them belong to different Śākhās or recensions, and are discussed in their bearings by ancient authorities.