Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c13.15

c13.15

**Popular Literature.** Patañjali's was indeed an age of popular literature, of Ākhyānas, Ākhyāyikās, Itihāsas, Purāṇas, of recitations from the Epics of the Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa [Vālmīki being mentioned in the earlier *Taittirīya Prātiśākhya* (v, 36)], of homely slokas, of vocal and instrumental musicians, of actors and the like. The spread of popular education due to this growth of a vast and varied popular literature may be inferred from one of the typical illustrations of Patañjali (in his gloss to Vārttika on ii, 4, 56). He there describes a dialogue between a grammarian and a coachman in which the latter gets the better of the former in regard to the accuracy of a grammatical formation. An extract from the dialogue will be interesting: "A certain grammarian asked, 'Who is the *Pravetā* (driver) of this chariot?' The Sūta (charioteer) answered: 'Sire! I am the *Prājitā*.' The learned grammarian said: 'This word (Prājitā) is grammatically incorrect.' The Sūta retorted: 'The fool knows the rule (of Pāṇini) but not the *ishṭi* of the teachers.' The grammarian answered: 'Oh! how troubled are we by this *opposite* of a Sūta [*Duruta* = Dur + ve (weave) + kta = ill-woven, to which the grammarian thinks Sūta is a cognate].' This answer provokes a stronger retort from the coachman who says: 'You think that *Sūta* is derived from the root *ve*, whereas it is really derived from the root *sū*, to propel. If, however, you wish to use a correct term of contempt for me you must use the form *Duhsūta*.'"