Dear Michael, Thanks a lot. That seems to be the quote I was looking for. Very helpful!
Best regards, David Reigle Colorado, U.S.A. On Sun, Feb 11, 2024 at 4:04 PM Allen, Michael S (msa2b) via INDOLOGY < [email protected]> wrote: > Dear David, > > I don't know about Frits Staal, but Michael Witzel at least has made the > comparison of Vedic recitation to an audio recording: "The Vedic texts > were orally composed and transmitted, without the use of script, in an > unbroken line of transmission from teacher to student that was formalized > early on. This ensured an impeccable textual transmission superior to the > classical texts of other cultures; it is, in fact, something like a > *tape-recording > *of ca. 1500–500 BCE. Not just the actual words, but even the long-lost > musical (tonal) accent (as in old Greek or in Japanese) has been preserved > up to the present." Source: *"*Vedas and Upanishads," ch. 3 of *The > Blackwell Companion to Hinduism, * ed. Gavin Flood, 2003, pp. 68-9. > > Best wishes, > Michael > > Michael S. Allen > Associate Professor and Interim Associate Chair > Department of Religious Studies > University of Virginia > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* INDOLOGY <[email protected]> on behalf of David > and Nancy Reigle via INDOLOGY <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Sunday, February 11, 2024 5:23 PM > *To:* Indology <[email protected]> > *Subject:* [INDOLOGY] Frits Staal on the sameness of Vedic recitation > > It is often said the pronunciation of the Vedas in Vedic recitation in all > parts of India, despite widely different local vernaculars, is the same. > This statement is attributed to Frits Staal. The idea is that he made > recordings of Vedic recitation in widely different parts of India and found > this to be true. As part of the same statement he apparently said that the > Vedas are the closest thing we have to a 3000-year-old audio recording. > Does anyone know where he made this statement? > > I have not found it in his monumental 1983 book, *Agni: The Vedic Ritual > of the Fire Altar*, nor in his more popular 2008 book, *Discovering the > Vedas*. I thought it might be in his 1961 book, *Nambudiri Veda > Recitation,* but I did not find it there, either. Incidentally, when I > could not at first find my copy of this book, I searched the web for > it, but did not find a digital copy. So when I later found my copy, I > scanned it, and I will ask our digital expert Lubomir Ondračka to upload > it to archive.org. > > Best regards, > > David Reigle > Colorado, U.S.A. > > _______________________________________________ > INDOLOGY mailing list > [email protected] > https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology >
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