The fullness
and the correctness of the meaning depend on the fullness and correctness of the utterance
of the sound. The Vedic sentences are called mantras, which embody sound and meaning in
one. Any fault or deviation in their utterance will detract from the meaning or distort
it.
This accounts for the fact that in our tradition, the Vedas were not put to writing. They
were received through the ear and transmitted by the mouth to another through his ear.
The Vedas are called Sruti, what is heard.
They were handed by word of mouth
from generation to generation by a competent teacher to a qualified pupil. In fact,
it was never intended that the Vedas should be written.
In Tamil, the
Vedas are spoken of as 'hidden' (marai) and as an 'unwritten book'
(ezhudaakkilavi).
Anything written is liable to the faults of omission, commission, alteration and
interpolation consciously or unconsciously. Such faults are likely to be augmented
when copies are made from an original by hand, and copies of copies are continuously being
made over the years. |
