प्राचीन भारत में शिक्षा (डॉ. ए.एस. अल्तेकर - गुरुकुल एवं बौद्ध विहार शिक्षण इतिहास)

VI] HIGHER LITERARY EDUCATION 147 THE AGE OF THE UPANISHADS AND THE SŪTRAS (First millennium B. C.) VEDIC STUDIES; METHOD CHANGED: The Vedic literature began to be universally regarded as revealed in this period and that honour was gradually extended to the Brāhmaṇas¹ and the Upanishads also. Vedic schools had to perform the onerous task of preserving this great and growing literature. The art of writing was known by this time, but its aid was not taken for this purpose, as it was believed that it would be irreligious to do so². The theory that the slightest mistake in the recitation of the Vedic hymns would not only prevent the realisation of the expected reward, but would also bring about a disaster on the reciter³, gained ground in this period and necessitated the devotion of a large part of the energy of the rising generation to the task of the accurate memorising of the Vedic literature. Extraordinary precautions were taken to prevent the corruption of the Vedic text by devising the pada-pāṭha,⁴ krama-pāṭha, jaṭā-pāṭha

1. The prose literature devoted to the task of explaining the rituals, legends and knotty points about the sacrifices enjoined in the Vedic hymns was known by this name. It should not be mistaken with the members of the Brahmana caste.
2. Cf. वेदानां लेखकाश्चैव सर्वे निरयगामिनः ।
3. मंत्रो हीनः स्वरतो वर्णतो वा मिथ्याप्रयुक्तो न तमर्थमाह । स वाग्वज्रो यजमानं हिनस्ति यथेन्द्रशत्रुः स्वरतोऽपराधात् ।
4. The pada-pāṭha required the students to memorise each word in the Vedic hymns separately after restoring it to its original form. Supposing a, b, and c were the three opening words of a hymn, the krama-pāṭha recited them as ab, bc, etc., the jaṭā-pāṭha as ab, ba, ab, etc., and the ghana-pāṭha as ab, ba, abc, cba, abc. The reader will now get some idea of the onerousness of the task of memorising these pāṭhas.