For the debate on orality, literacy and memorization, India provides somestriking evidence. In his comparative analysisof ‘oral aspects of scripture’, Graham gives the Hindu traditiona special place, for the ‘ancient Vedic traditionrepresents the paradigmatic instance of scripture as spoken, recited word’ (Graham 1987:68). The Vedas,the oldest texts of Hinduism, have been transmitted orally for three thousand yearsor more, despite the very early implementation of writing, and it is the Vedas as recited from memory byBrahmans that are alone authoritative. A corollary of the spoken word'sprimacy is that in teaching the Vedas and other texts, although ‘written texts have beenused’, ‘a text without a teacher to teach it directly and orally to a pupil is only so manyuseless leaves or pages’ (ibid.: 74).