Evils of Written Vedas? (apology for cross-posting)

[Shrikant Bahulkar]

Dear Madhav,

The variant from the Yaaj~nvalya Zik.saa is perhaps
yathaa-likhita-paa.thaka.h instead of yathaa likhita-paa.thaka.h.
For a correct recitation of the veda, it is necessary to learn it through
oral transmission
and the written text is just for help to the teacher. I have seen some times
that those who do not memorize the text with accents and try to recite it
with
the help of the text are able to read the words but cannot pronounce the
accents
correctly. I recorded the Atharvaveda from Gujarat some years ago. The Pandit

did not do his svaadhyaaya regularly. He tried to recite the text with the
help
of the printed one and made blunders in his recitation.

Shrikant Bahulkar

Madhav Deshpande wrote:

> The following verse occurs as verse 32 of the Rk-version of the
> Paa.niniiya-Zik.saa (in Manomohan Ghosh edition, U of Calcutta, 1938, p.
> 42):
>         giitii ziighrii zira.hkampii tathaa likhita-paa.thaka.h /
>         anarthajJ~o 'lpaka.n.thaz ca .sa.d ete paa.thakaadhamaa.h //
>
> A variant of this verse with yathaa likhita-paa.thaka.h occurs in the
> YajJ~avalkya-zik.saa (verse 82, p. 137, ed. by Amaranaatha Zaastrii, 2019
> Vikram, Varanasi).  The Naaradiiya-zik.saa (2.19, p. 71, ed. by Usha
> Bhise, Bhandarkar O. R. Institute, 1986) reads:
>
>         pustakapratyayaadhiita.m naadhiita.m gurusannidhau /
>         raajate na sabhaamadhye jaaragarbhaa iva striya.h //
>
>         Both of these passages assume that written Vedic texts are
> available, and yet using them carries a certain degree of disapproval by
> the community of reciters.
>                                         Madhav Deshpande