December 16, 2024 at 6:11 pm
#52919
Keymaster
I don’t think that is a reliable reference.
- I asked Grok; see my above comment. You can ask Chat GPT (or another AI), and report your findings.
- Also, don’t write comments that are not useful. Stick to the facts. I deleted such a comment.
P.S. I spent some time with Grok, and here is a better description.
The Vedas were primarily an oral tradition for a considerable period before they were written down. According to various sources:
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The Rigveda, which is considered the oldest among the Vedas, might have been composed orally between 1500 and 1000 BCE. However, it was not written down until much later. The oldest surviving manuscripts of the Vedas date to around the 11th century CE, with specific references to the Vajasaneyi Samhita from around 1050 AD.
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Other sources suggest that the Vedas were likely first committed to writing between 500 BCE and 300 BCE, with some scholars proposing that the Brahmi script, which emerged around this time, might have been used. However, it’s widely acknowledged that the Vedas were passed down through oral tradition for centuries before this. The exact timing of when they were first written down is not precisely known due to the lack of early manuscripts.
Given the nature of oral transmission and the eventual written documentation, these dates provide a range rather than a singular event for when the Vedas were first written down.
References:
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Witzel, M. (1995). “Early Indian history: Linguistic and textual parametres.” In The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia (ed. G. Erdosy). Walter de Gruyter. This work discusses the oral tradition and the transition to written texts.
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Staal, F. (2008). “Discovering the Vedas: Origins, Mantras, Rituals, Insights.” Penguin Books India. This book provides insights into the composition and preservation of the Vedas, including their oral tradition and later manuscript evidence.
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Gonda, J. (1975). “Vedic Literature (Samhitās and Brāhmaṇas).” Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. Gonda’s work delves into the textual history of Vedic literature, offering scholarly perspectives on when these texts might have been written.
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Oberlies, T. (1998). “Die Religion des Ṛgveda.” Wien: Institut für Indologie der Universität Wien. Oberlies discusses the dating of the Rigveda and its transition from oral to written form.
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Kashikar, C.G. (1964). “A Survey of the Manuscripts of the Ṛgveda.” Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 84, No. 1. This provides an overview of the oldest manuscripts of the Rigveda.
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Biardeau, M. (1964). “Théorie de la Connaissance et Philosophie de la Parole dans le Brahmanisme Classique.” Mouton & Co., particularly for understanding the role of oral tradition in Vedic texts.
These references collectively provide a scholarly understanding of the timeline when the Vedas might have been written down, acknowledging the predominance of oral tradition before the advent of written manuscripts. Remember, exact dates are often speculative due to the nature of ancient texts and the absence of early written records.