Literacy in the ancient Vedic world
Shrinivas Tilak
Recently, Professor Michael Witzel of Harvard University has claimed that Vedic people were illiterate. A close study of the Rigveda, however, suggests awareness of some kind of writing system in the ancient Vedic times and that the Vedic people were not illiterate:
(1) Rg 1:124.7 This sukta describes Ushas rising slowly in the morning. Her movement is compared to a brotherless widow climbing the steps of a courthouse to claim subsistence
(2) Rg 2:18 This sukta describes a large number of horses of Indra in a manner that suggests familiarity with the decimal system
(3) Rg 8:78.2 In this sukta a plea is made to Indra to bring with him ‘mana,’ which is said to be a gold coin
(4) 10:62.7 Here a rsi is asking for a cow in gift whose ear is branded with a sign or mark that resembles the number 8 (ashtkarnya). A similar branding practice is mentioned in Panini 6:3.11)
(5) 10:65.6 (Vivahasukta). In this important sukta the bride’s decorated garment is described as ‘gatha’ i.e. a dyed garment on which are embossed with certain signs or symbols that are similar to letters. This practice or custom has remained popular all along. Even in modern times we see girls and women (even some pujaris) wearing dyed kurtas embossed with mantras such as Shri Ram.
All references are from the Marathi translation of the Rigveda by Siddheshvarshastri Chitrav, Pune 1996.
Shrinivas Tilak (PhD, history of religions, McGill University, Montreal)
Michael Witzel Sun, Mar 23, 2008 at 9:53 PM
ReplyDeleteTo: BalaKrishna Chadalawada
Cc: Michael Witzel
I really do not have time for this, but:
Better to actually *read*our paper carefully:
While we say that the Harappan (Indus) Civilization did not have writing (and thus was functionally “illiterate”) its people were anything but “illiterate”
in the sense of uncivilized. The myths depicted on their tiny tablets indicate a complex religion and its *oral* literature.
NB: It is not a great shame if a civilization does not have a script: The Incas, Aztecs-Toltecs-Olmecs did not have one, neither the civilizations close to the Indus: Those of
Jiroft, Mundigak, and the BMAC (Bactria-Margiana Archeological Complex, 2400-1600 BCE)
Script is an ingredient of the early great civilizations, but not a necessary one.
MW
[Quoted text hidden]
Michael Witzel
Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Harvard University,
1 Bow Street , 3rd floor, Cambridge MA 02138
1-617-495 3295 Fax: 496 8571
direct line: 496 2990
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YOU SEE HOW MICHAEL WITZEL PLAYS ON WORDS. FIRST HE DENIES HE SAID HARAPPAN (INDUS) CIVILIZATION WAS "ILLITERATE" AND THEN ASSERTS "IT WAS FUNCTIONALLY ILLITERATE."
THEN HE SAYS IT IS NOT A SHAME BECAUSE THERE WERE OTHER CIVILIZATIONS WHO HAD NOT YET INVENTED SCRIPTS.
WHAT HE FAILS TO ADMIT IS THAT THEY WERE ALL "PRE-LITERATE" AND THERE WERE NO COEXISTING LITERATE AND ILLITERATE PEOPLE IN THOSE CONTEMPORARY ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS. THERE WERE NO FUNCTIONAL ILLITERATES. THEY WERE ALL "PRE-LITERATE."
ALSO, NOTE HE USES THE ADJECTIVE "FUNCTIONAL ILLITERATE" FOR ONLY HARAPPAN (INDUS) CIVILIZATION.
EVEN ACCEPTING HIS THESIS THAT THERE WAS NO WRITING IN THOSE CIVILIZATIONS, NONE OF THOSE "PRE-LITERATE" CIVILIZATIONS CAN BE LABELED "FUNCTIONAL ILLITERATE" BECAUSE THERE NEEDS TO BE CONCURRENT PRESENCE OF LITERATE PEOPLE TO CALL THOSE UNEDUCATED AND NON-SCHOOLED PEOPLE WHO CANNOT READ OR WRITE "ILLITERATE" (THE ADJECTIVE ILLITERATE FOR PEOPLE PRESUPPOSES THAT THERE IS "LITERACY" AROUND THEM.)
A PROFESSOR OF SANSKRIT NEEDED TO HAVE THIS ELEMENTARY ANALYTIC APPROACH IN USING A PEJORATIVE ADJECTIVE SELECTIVELY
TO DESCRIBE ONE PRE-LITERATE CIVILIZATION AS "ILLITERATE" OR EVEN
LESS ACCURATELY AS "FUNCTIONAL ILLITERATE", AND AS USUAL WHEN CAUGHT MICHAEL WITZEL USES DISTORTED LOGIC AND SEMANTIC SLEIGHT OF HAND TO RATIONALIZE AND JUSTIFY HIS INAPPROPRIATE AND DEROGATORY-PEJORATIVE WORDS IN DESCRIBING HARAPPAN (INDUS) CIVILIZATION. THIS SHOULD BE VERY OBVIOUS TO ANY AND ALL
ASTUTE READERS. HE IS FIXATED ON HIS OWN IDEAS AND THEREFORE
LEGITIMATELY DESERVES TO BE CALLED AN "IDIOT" IN THE TRUE SENSE OF THE WORD.