We regard our Vedic literature as 'shruti' and later scriptures as 'smritis'. Shruti and smiriti are parts of the same process based on hearing and remembering something. Can we ascertain when this knowledge became scripted. What was the original script and through how many scripts did these scriptures go through to reach Devnagari script in which we read Sanskrit literature today. This information will help us understand the non-specificity of Vedic Sanskrit vocabulary. While spending some time with Professor Tulsi I was able to locate 26 different meanings of the word 'ashva' depending on its context. For a developed language words and meaning lose vagueness and acquire specificity, Vedic Sanskrit did not do so. Hence word meanings being different in different contexts.
This is an open question. Anybody who can throw some light on this question is welcome to respond.
Kind regards
Dr. Jagdish Sharma
jagdish . sharma @ talktalk . net
November 24, 2009
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