ABSTRACT
The ancient Vedic tradition represents the paradigmatic instance of scripture as spoken, recited word. Vedic recitation is also the essential element of daily worship for the Brahman. The recitative, oral character of Hindu scripture can be seen not only in the specialized preservation, teaching, and transmission of religious texts, but also in every aspect and at every level of life. Recitation of sacred texts forms the indispensable core of Hindu ritual life. Just as their forerunners, the Vedas, influenced the oral treatment of all later Indian texts, the recitation of the Purānas has served also as a model for the treatment of other popular Hindu texts. Hindu insistence upon the sounded, recited holy text as the proper and sacred form of scripture may be an extreme case among scriptural traditions with regard to the balance between orality and chirography as the dominant means through which sacred texts are known and used.
