Indian literature: overview and major works

Speech and the Culture of the Vedic Aryans

Speech was a key component of the Vedic Aryans' culture owing to the fact that theirs was a preliterate society. This means that they had no written language with which to communicate, and had to rely solely on the spoken word in order to carry out the functions of their day-to-day lives. In order to understand why this is so, we must take a look at the history of the Vedic Aryans. In doing so, we will also compare the role that speech played in their culture to the role that speech plays in the United States today.

The Vedic Aryans were semi-nomads who migrated in several series during the second millennium B.C. They spoke an early form of Sanskrit. Their language had a lot of similarities to other Indo-European languages, including ancient Greek and Latin, as well as Avestan in Iran. The term Aryan means "pure." The word was likely chosen to designate the conscious efforts of the invaders to retain their tribal roots and identities, while simultaneously asserting their difference from earlier inhabitants of the region.

While proof of the Vedic Aryans has not yet been established through archaeological means, the evolution and spread of their culture throughout the Indo-Gangetic Plain is indisputable and can be traced back through the evolution of their language. Our current knowledge of their existence stems from several sacred texts. These include the four Vedas - a collection of prayers, liturgy, and hymns; the Brahamanas and the Upanishads - commentaries on Vedic rituals and philosophical treatises; as well as the Puranas, which are traditional works rooted in a combination of myth and history. Were it not for the spoken language of the Vedic Aryans and their strong oral tradition, this significant body of literature would not have been handed down over the ages. The fact that they are so tied up to the unbroken oral tradition of the people links them to the present day Hindu tradition.

Compared to the Vedic Aryans' reverence for the spoken word - and the ways in which it connected them to history - the current conception of spoken language in the United States seems rather superficial. While we take it for granted that we need speech in our everyday lives as a means for communication and getting through basic activities, our reliance on speech does not go much beyond this. It certainly does not connect us to history or culture - we rely on writing in order to cement important legal issues, as well as leaving traces of ourselves behind.