Preservation of the Vedas (वेदपरिरक्षणम्)

परिचय || Introduction

Transmission of texts in the Vedic period was by oral tradition, preserved with precision with the help of elaborate mnemonic techniques. A literary tradition is traceable in post-Vedic times, after the rise of Buddhism in the Maurya period, perhaps earliest in the Kanva recension of the Yajurveda about the 1st century BC; however oral tradition of transmission remained active.

वेदपाठपद्धती || Vedapaatha Paddhati

Rushis (Vedic seers) devised means of protecting and preserving the text of Vedas letter by letter, with all their accessories and accents. Vedic mantras have स्वर || Swara (accents) which preserve its original form of word- construction. Prodigious energy was expended in ensuring that these texts were transmitted from generation to generation with inordinate fidelity. Memorization of the sacred Vedas included up to eleven forms of recitation of the same text. These texts were subsequently "proof-read" by comparing the different recited versions. This ensured their verbatim preservation through ages of time.

प्रकृति पाठ || Prakriti Pathas

These are three systems for memorizing Mantras most commonly known as:

1. संहिता पाठ || Samhita-Patha -   in which Mantra remains in its true form.
2. पद पाठ || Pada-Patha-   in which each word of a Mantra is separately spoken.
3. क्रम पाठ || Krama-Patha-  in which two words of a Mantra are spoken jointly as  Ka-kha, kha-ga.

विकृति पाठ || Vikriti Pathas

There were eight ways of memorizing Vedas. These are   

1. जातपाठ || Jatapatha
2. मालापाठ || Malapatha
3. शिखापाठ || Shikhapatha  
4. रेखापाठ || Rekhapatha  
5. ध्वजपाठ || Dhvajapatha
6. दण्डपाठ || Dandapatha
7. रथपाठ || Rathapatha,  and
8. घनापाठ || Ghanapatha

Among them Ghana Patha  is most difficult and the longest.

As its reach became wider, it helped in disseminating the knowledge of the Vedas, their student lineage also helped committing it to memory.

Without the use of writing a fool-proof method each Mantra was chanted in various patterns and combinations to prevent any errors creeping into the Vedas. The modes of chanting prescribe the basics like how much time one has to take for reciting a word, how to regulate breathing while reciting so that required vibrations are produced in the specific parts of the body which will yield pure word-sound.

Forms of recitation such as the jaṭā-pāṭha (literally "mesh recitation") is one in which every two adjacent words in the text were first recited in their original order, then repeated in the reverse order, and finally repeated again in the original order.

Another step was to prepare treatises known as अनुक्रमणि || Anukramanis in which the names of ऋषि || Rishi, देवता || Devata, छन्दः || Chandas  are mentioned in reference to each hymn of the Vedas. Chandas means meter which also helps in avoiding loss of content by enforcing number of syllables. 

That these methods have been effective, is testified to by the preservation of the most ancient Indian religious text, the Rigveda, as redacted into a single text during the Brahmana period, without any variant readings within that school.

Gurukulas

Gurushishya parampara was the main foundation that preserved Sanatana Dharma since ages. From upanayana or initiation until the age of 20, Brahmachaaris study vedas, conducting yagnas and yagas, collecting the samidhas (thus they learn Plant Sciences), raising and domestication of cattle (they learn Animal Sciences) and different ashrama dharmas (they learn Human Sciences) and living harmoniously with nature.

Pandavas and Kauravas in Mahabharata, were educated by the renowned Guru Dronaacharya, in a gurukula system. So did Bhagavan Srikrishna and Balarama under the aegis of Guru sandeepani.

The Vedas, Vedic rituals and its ancillary sciences called the Vedangas, were part of the curriculum at ancient Bharata universities such as at Taxila, Nalanda and Vikramashila.

Modern Vedic Education

The Vedas were likely written down for the first time around 500 BC. However, all printed editions of the Vedas that survive in the modern times are likely the version existing in about the 16th century AD.

Due to the ephemeral nature of the manuscript material (birch bark or palm leaves), surviving manuscripts rarely surpass an age of a few hundred years. The Sampurnanand Samskrit University has a Rigveda manuscript from the 14th century; however, there are a number of older Veda manuscripts in Nepal that are dated from the 11th century onwards.

With the discovery of paper and through the centuries improved stationery material, was the main means of preserving the vedic literature. Western Indologists have generated volumes of their interpretation of vedas and took many manuscripts from India to other places like Germany. However, the main drawback was the non-availability of a voice preservation method since early 18th century. Vedic language which primarily depends on the accents and pronunciation, was not preserved and thus many shakas have been lost with those learned scholars since few centuries. Today many manuscripts and valuable literary treasures can be found in remote corners of the world.

Computers and modern digital techniques revolutionized the way vedic knowledge is read and disseminated in the present day.

References

1. Narayanacharya, K. S. (2011). Veda Sanskritiya Parichaya, Part I. Hubli:​Sahitya Prakashana​.
2. http://ignca.nic.in/vedic_portal_introduction.htm