Dates of written Rgveda

[Steve Farmer]

George Thompson wrote:

> I hope that Steve Farmer has not given up on this thread.  In spite of the
> heat and volume of the responses which his original question has generated,
> both on and off the list,  I think that his question has now been adequately
> answered.
>
This naive comparative historian, who naively jumped into this
list and called the Indologists naive, is deep into studies of
Vedic mnemonics, Panini, Pali suttas, Bechert's redating of
Buddha, and related topics -- trying to cure his naivite. The
question of oral/literate transmission is coupled to other
questions, tied to issues involving the growth of premodern
cosmological systems throughout Eurasia, that I have been
studying with a sinological collaborator for many years. I
understand now, at a late date and with some pain, what issues,
including political issues, are at stake here for Indologists as
well.

Since I started the most recent battle over this topic -- or,
rather, stumbled onto a battlefield in a lull, awakening everyone
to bloody combat -- I have an obligation to return to the List in
the next few weeks with an outsider's report on what he's
learned. John Archibald Wheeler once suggested: "In every field
find the strangest thing and then explore it." In Indology, I've
quickly found the strangest thing. For that, thanks to all.

> From an outsider's perspective: The Indology List is a unique
international resource. I can say that as a participant in two
dozen scholarly Lists. But what friction! as Krishnamurti used to
put it.

I'll be back in the next few weeks. Thanks to all those off-line
who are feeding me data and pointing me to useful sources. Much appreciated.

My regards,
Steve Farmer