Writing disappeared in India during the second millennium before our era, as a result of the Aryan invasions, and

only reappeared toward the eighth century B.C., in new forms - first Brahmi, which was of Phoenician origin, followed in the seventh century by Kharoshti, of Aramaean origin. Although their antiquity is unquestioned, the Vedas as well as all the other forms of ancient knowledge were only put into written form starting from this period. Knowledge, which had been previously transmitted orally, was then codified in Sanskrit, which had become the instrument of culture. It is not certain whether even Panini's famous grammar was originally a written text. Thus it was that, starting from the seventh century B.C., the basic texts concerning the aims of life were transcribed in the Artba Shastra, Dbarma Shastra, and Kama Shastra. The Predecessors of Vatsyayana The first formulation of the Kama Shastra, or rules of love, is attributed to Nandi, Shiva's companion. During the eighth century B.C., Shvetaketu, son of Uddalaka, undertook the summary of Nandi's work. The date is known, since Uddalaki and Shvetaketu are the protagonists