ॐ Hindu Of Universe ॐ
“God’s light is within you, It never leaves you.”
The twenty eight Veda Vyasas
Veda Vyasa is one of the holiest figures in India. He is the man who divided the Vedas into four and taught four of his principal disciples one each.
He taught Paila the Rig Veda: Vaishampayana the Yajur Veda, Jaimini the Sama Veda and Sumantu the Atharva Veda. He then taught the Puranas to Lomaharshana.
Veda Vyasa is also credited with having written the Mahabharata. He is also the narrator of the world’s greatest epic and also a figure in it.
He is also called Krishna Dvaipayana-the word Dvaipayana refers to his complexion and also the place of his birth- and is a scribe of both the Vedas and the Puranas.
Vyasa is also considered to be the kala-avatara or part-incarnation of Vishnu himself. Madhwacharya equated him with Badarayana, the compiler of the Vedanta Sutras. He is also considered to be one of the seven Chiranjivis (long lived or immortals), who are still in existence. Shaivites consider him to be the fourth rishi of the Adwaitha Parampare of which Shankara is the chief proponent. He is one of the few to have a festival after him. It is called Guru Poornima or Vyasa Poornima. This is the day on which Vyasa was born and also the day on which he divided the Vedas.
Vyasa was grandfather to the both the Pandavas and th Kauravas. Both Pandu, father of the Pandavas, and Dhritarashtra, father of Kauravas, were his sons as was Vidura.
Madhwacharya went to Badari twice and met Veda Vyasa and Narayana too. It was Veda Vyasa who taught him the holy scriptures which later came down to us in the form of Dwaitha philosophy.
The Srimadhwavijaya by Narayana Panditacharya has given us perhaps the most evocative and comprehensive description of Vyasa and Hari himself as seen by Madhwa. Several chapters in the work are devoted to the description of Vyasa.
Veda Vyasa is born every Dwapara Yuga to divide the Vedas and disseminate their knowledge. In the present era, there have been twenty-eight dwapara yugas and, therefore, there are twenty-eight individuals who have held the title of Veda Vyasa.
The Kurma Purana gives the names of these 28 as:
(1) Svayambhuva Manu.
(2) Prajapati.
(3) Ushana.
(4) Brihaspati.
(5) Savita.
(6) Mrityu.
(7) Indra.
(8) Vashishtha.
(9) Sarasvata.
(10) Tridhama.
(11) Rishabha.
(12) Suteja.
(13) Dharma.
(14) Sachakshu.
(15) Trayaruni.
(16) Dhananjaya.
(17) Kritanjaya.
(18) Ritanjaya.
(19) Bharadvaja.
(20) Goutama.
(21) Vachashrava.
(22) Narayana.
(23) Trinavindu.
(24) Valmiki.
(25) Shaktri.
(26) Parashara.
(27) Jatukarna.
(28) Krishna Dvaipayana.
Vedas – Meaning, 4 Vedas Name, Types of Vedas
The Vedas are considered the most sacred books in India and the oldest literary record of the Indo-Aryan civilization. Vedas are the original Hindu scriptures containing spiritual knowledge that covers all aspects of life. The four types of Vedas are Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva. They contain vast knowledge about life in India at various times and places.
The Vedas are written in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language, and their verses are composed in a poetic and rhythmic style. Questions about Vedas are often asked in the history section of the UPSC Syllabus. Candidates preparing for the upcoming IAS Exam must comprehensively cover the topics for both the Prelims and Mains Exam.
What are Vedas?
The term ‘Vedas’ is taken from the Sanskrit word ‘Vid’ which means knowledge or to know. The Vedas contain a vast amount of information about life in India at various times and places. Shruti is another word for Vedas.
The most sacred text in India is known as the Vedas – Rig, Sama, Yajur & Atharva, collectively called ‘Samhitas’ (a collection). They contain vast knowledge about life in India at various times and places.
How many Vedas are there?
Ancient History is mainly derived from Vedic literature. They are known to form the basis of classical Hinduism. There are four types of Vedas & all of them together are known as Chaturveda. Let’s see the four types of Vedas below:
The Rig Veda: Book of Mantras
The Sama Veda: Book of Chant
The Yajur Veda: Book of Ritual
The Atharva Veda: Book of Spell
Types of Vedas
The Vedas are classified into four primary types, known as the Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda. Each Veda has its own distinct characteristics and serves a specific purpose within the Vedic tradition. Let us learn about each of the 4 Vedas here in detail.
Rigveda
Rigveda is a Sanskrit term meaning “sacred text.” It refers to a collection of hymns and prayers compiled by the Vedic religion. Rigveda is considered the foundation of the Indian faith.
It is among the oldest texts worldwide, dating to around 1500 BCE.
The name “Rigveda” comes from the Sanskrit word “rig,” meaning “sacred text.” Rigveda deals with hymns, prayers, and stories that are all important to Indian culture. Rigveda is also known as the “holy book” or “sacred scripture.”
The Rigveda contains over 300 hymns and over 600 prayers. Each hymn or prayer has a specific purpose and purpose for India. The purpose of each prayer is to help people find God. Each devotion has a particular meaning for India and can be used for any purpose.
Many people use these prayers for different purposes: to find God, to ask for guidance, or to ask for help from others.
Yajurveda
Yajurveda (Yajurveda) is a branch of Vedic science that deals with the methods and practices of meditation. It is the oldest branch of Hinduism and is still practised today by many Hindus.
The main body of Yajurveda is called Yoga, which means “practice.” Yajurveda teaches meditation, breathing, and techniques such as Yoga, pranayama, and kriya yoga.
Yajurveda also teaches about various aspects of life, such as health, wealth, and happiness.
Samaveda
Samaveda is one of the essential Vedic texts. It is an amalgamation of hymns and prayers compiled in the 3rd century BCE. The hymns are categorised into groups based on themes like “the beginning of knowledge” or “the beginning of wisdom.” The book’s first part contains prayers for various deities, including Shiva, Vishnu, and Indra.
Prayers for different animals, such as cows, bulls, and horses, are included in the second section.
The third part contains prayers for various plants and animals, including trees and flowers.
The hymns are arranged in a series of themes that are often linked to the themes of the Vedas.
For example, the first section contains prayers for Shiva and his consort Durga; the second includes prayers for Shiva and his consort Durga; and so on.
The hymns also contain references to other sacred texts such as the Rigveda, Yajnavalkya Purana, Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Mahabharata (the epic poem), Mahabharata (the epic poetry), Bhagavata Purana (the epic poem), Ramayana (the epic poem), Srimad.
Atharvaveda
Atharvaveda is one of the parts of the Vedas which deals with the knowledge and understanding of the Vedas.
It is among the oldest parts of the Vedas and has been passed down through many generations.
It is also propounded as one of the most critical parts of the Vedas as it contains all the crucial teachings in all the other parts.
Chapters in each part teach about different aspects such as food, sex, and so on.
Each chapter has a specific purpose, and they can be used for various purposes, such as teaching about sex or teaching about food.
Another thing you must know is that each part has a specific meaning that it uses to teach you about them.
For example, some chapters may have a sexual meaning, while others may have a philosophical sense.
Vedic Literature
There are three main types of Vedic literature – Brahmanas, Aranyakas & Upanishads.
Brahmanas:
The Brahmanas are a collection of Vedic texts, including the Rigveda and the Atharvaveda. They were compiled in the early centuries BCE by Soma-Veda, a contemporary of the Vedic scholars who had preceded him.
The Brahmanas contain many stories, some of which later Vedic scholars have retold many times.
The most famous story is Vyasa’s battle with Partha, a son of Rama and Janaka (the legendary king of Ayodhya). Various authors have retold the report numerous times; it is also one of the oldest tales known to us.
The Brahmanas are divided into four sections.
The first section contains “Sutras”, or sacred texts, primarily hymns and prayers for salvation from death and other misfortunes.
The second section includes “Sutras” on marriage, family life, politics, medicine, and law.
The third section contains “Sutras” on topics such as agriculture, commerce, and art; this section is called “Darshanas”.
Finally, there is an appendix called “Brahmacharya Sutras”. These Sutras were initially composed in Sanskrit, but many have been translated into English through translations by Christian missionaries such as John Wesley (1733-1803) & Thomas Henry Huxley (1820-1902).
Aranyakas:
Aranyakas [forest books] is a collection of Vedic scholars’ books describing sacrifices from various perspectives.
They are an amalgamation of information about the birth & death cycle & different complexities of the soul.
During that time, it was taught by Munis that the holy & learned men lived only in the forest.
Upanishads:
Upanishads are Vedic literature. They are the oldest known texts in the world. They are written in a language that is similar to Sanskrit, and they contain many of the same philosophical concepts.
Upanishads contain several different teachings, but they all share one common theme: that everything is relative. The Upanishads teach that everything is close and can be understood in comparable positions.
The Upanishads also teach that there are no absolute truths and only relative truths. No one knows what is accurate or not & nobody knows the consequences if someone tries to predict it.
This means that Upanishads are like a guidebook for life: they give you a general idea of what to do, but they don’t tell you exactly how to do it.
The most important thing to remember about Upanishads is this: they’re just an overview of life. They’re not a complete guide to life.
Learn about the Difference between Vedas and Upanishads here.
Vedas UPSC
The syllabus for the UPSC exam does not explicitly mention the Vedas as a separate topic. However, questions related to ancient Indian history, philosophy, religion, and culture may include references to the Vedas indirectly. Vedas UPSC notes are crucial to cover the history syllabus for CSE. It is important to practice UPSC Previous Year Question Papers to have a proper understanding of what kind of questions on 4 types of Vedas are asked in UPSC Prelims and Mains exams.
Q1. Which of the following is the oldest Veda? – (a) Yajurveda, (b) Samaveda, (c) Atharvaveda, (d) Rigveda
Answer: d) Rigveda
Q2. Which Veda is primarily associated with melodies and musical chants? – (a) Yajurveda, (b) Samaveda, (c) Atharvaveda, (d) Rigveda
Answer: b) Samaveda
Q3. Which Veda provides prose formulas and instructions for performing rituals and sacrifices? – (a) Yajurveda, (b) Samaveda, (c) Atharvaveda, (d) Rigveda
Answer: a) Yajurveda
Q4. Which Veda contains hymns, spells, and incantations for various purposes, including healing and protection? – (a) Yajurveda, (b) Samaveda, (c) Atharvaveda, (d) Rigveda
Answer: c) Atharvaveda
Q5. The Vedas were primarily transmitted and preserved through: (a) Written manuscripts, (b) Stone inscriptions, (c) Oral tradition, (d) Papyrus scrolls
Answer: c) Oral tradition
What are the 4 Vedas and their Meaning?
hamburger
The four types of Vedas are Rigveda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda. Each one of them contains different texts such as:
Rigveda contains hymns from the ancient Indian period.
Sama Veda provides us with early references to music with melodious rhymes.
Yajur Veda contains information on how to perform religious rituals.
Atharva Veda contains magic spells against diseases, enemies, etc.
How many Vedas are there?
hamburger
There are 4 Vedas, the names of which are as follows: Rigveda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda. Out of these types, Rigveda is the oldest Vedas that existed in the period from 1800 – 1100 BC.
Who wrote 4 Vedas?
hamburger
The four Vedas are written by Veda Vyasa. It is believed that god revealed the sacred truth of life to sages who then composed hymns in the Sanskrit language and passed them on from one generation to the next. And later, rishi Vyasa formed written texts of these hymns in the form of Vedic literature in 4 Vedas.
Which is the Oldest Veda?
hamburger
Rigveda is the oldest Veda which consists of hymns to praise god. It contains 10 mandalas and talks about 33 gods and goddesses.
How Vedas were found?
hamburger
Vedas are considered the earliest forms of knowledge which were passed on from generation to generation orally before these were finally written down by rishi Veda Vyasa in the form of literary texts. Vedas are defined as sacred information about Brahman provided by God to ancient sages.
Which Vedas are associated with Gopatha Brahamana?
hamburger
The only Brahmana, a category of prose books outlining Vedic ceremonies and linked to the Atharvaveda, is the Gopatha Brahmana. The Atharvaveda’s Shaunaka and Paippalada recensions are related to the text.
Where do the Vedas come from?
hamburger
Hinduism’s earliest scriptures are known as Vedas, which is Sanskrit for “knowledge.” They were written down in Sanskrit from 1500 to 500 BCE. They were first orally cited & then written down.
Where are the original Vedas found?
hamburger
If finding original Vedas that were originated by the original authors so they are not existing. They were translated the same way as the Homeric poems in Greece i.e., from verbal to hand-written.
Four Vedas
Shri Veda Vyasa (also known as Badarayana or Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa) was one of the greatest of all the sages of India.
His contribution in compilation of the Vedas is an example of unparalleled erudition. With great perseverance, he searched for all the work of the Rishis. He collected all the mantras and categorized them.
The mantra which is in the metered form and recited for the praise of the deity is called rik or richa. The mantra that can be chanted melodiously is called sama. The mantra in the prose form is called yajus. The mantra meant for daily rites and rituals in prose or poetic form is known as atharva.
Thus Veda Vyasa categorized all the mantras and compiled them in four parts. The four parts thus compiled came to be known as the four Vedas.
The four Vedas are the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda and the Atharva Veda.
The Rig Veda is the oldest of all the Vedas. The Rig Veda is composed of 10552 mantras. It is believed to be the work of 403 sages. The person who knows all the mantras is known as Ritwik.
The Yajur Veda is the smallest of all the four Vedas. The knower of this Veda is known as Adhvaryu.
The Sama Veda has 1875 mantras. The knower of this Veda is known as Udgata.
The Atharva Veda has a special place in the field of philosophy and spiritualism. The knower of this Veda is known as Brahma.
Ved Vyasa – The Sage who compiled the wealth of spiritual literature
According to the mythic sources, Vyasa was the son of Satyavati, the Daughter of a fisherman, and Parashara who was a wandering sage. Satyavati used to row boats for passengers from one end of the shore to another. That was where Parashara and Satyavati met. Since Satyavati was the daughter of a fisherman, she smelled of fish hence Parashara gave her a boon that she would never smell like she had been around fishes ever again, she then gave birth to Krishna Dvaipayana on the shore of River Yamuna. At birth, he was given the name Krishna Dvaipayana (Ramesh 1-2). The name Krishna Dvaipayana came from his dark complexion meaning Krishna and Dvaipayana-came from the place he was born. He was born on the shore of Yamuna (which is a river in India) Dvipa (meaning island). He was married to the daughter of RsiJabali, named Vaachika. After marriage, he entered the stage of Grahasthashram and then fathered a son named Shuka.
Veda Vyasa
According to legends, Veda Vyasa was the type of character that always had full loyalty and faith for the Vedas meaning he had Veda Niṣṭha. We know that he had full faith in the Vedas since at a very young age he had mastered Vedas as well as the Sastras, literature, mythology, history, and other branches of knowledge. Another meaning of Nistha is steadiness, we see that he had steadiness in his life, he was always successful in what he wanted to do, and we don’t see many obstacles coming in the way of his success in his lifetime. Later, then went on to Badarikashrama to perform ‘tapas’ meaning meditation. According to Vyasa, the Veda was not stabilized, since there was only one Veda, they weren’t separate at the time, and it was hard for people to understand it due to which not many people would be able to read them. This caused the essence of the Veda to go down in society therefore the Veda was not stable. Vyasa wanted to restore Vedic Sahitya (literature) by doing the punaruddhar (revival) of the Vedas. To stabilize the Vedas, he decided to divide the Vedas into four sections. The Vedas were divided in such a way that all the hymns were grouped based on their requirements in the sacrificial rites. Each of the four Vedas was given to four different Rsis. Vyasa taught these four Vedas to his four disciples. Rg Veda was given to PailaRsi, Atharva Veda was given to SumanthuRsi, Sama Veda was given to JaiminiRsi and lastly, Yajur Veda was given to VaishampayanaRsi. As the Vedas were divided, the respective Rsis taught their part of the Vedas to their disciples who then passed down the knowledge to the society, and restored the values and information of the Vedas among the society. It was easier to pass on the knowledge of the Vedas now since they were all divided (Sullivan 11-15). Two events took place after Vyasa had divided the Vedas. First was when he got the name Veda Vyasa; until then he was known as Krishna Dvaipayana. Second, even was when Vyasa decided to write the Puranas. The Puranas were a way to spread the thoughts of the Vedas in the form of stories to the general people. Puranas contain stories about the Vedas for easier understanding since the Vedas are too complex to understand by general people. There is a total of 18 Puranas, Vyasa did Sansodhana (research) and Adhyayana (study) in detail to achieve his goal. It takes such immense knowledge for a person to achieve so many achievements in life, like writing such great Epics that are still known to date. After writing the Puranas, he started writing the Brahma Sutra. The Brahma Sutra consists of four chapters, 16 Padas, and 555 Sutras. The Brahma Sutras are part of the Vedantas, which include Sankara’s Radical Non-dualism, Ramanujan’s Qualified Non-Dualism, and Madhava’s dualism (Rodrigues 155-159).
The Complete Mahabharata (Set of 12 Volumes)
It is said that Vyasa first composed the entire story of The Mahabharata in his head for years, after which he was encouraged by Lord Brahma that Vyasa should now write the story (Rodrigues 2016, 177). Vyasa asks Ganesha to aid him in writing the text, but Ganesha imposed a condition that he would do so only if Vyasa narrated the story without pause. Vyasa replied with a counter-condition, that Ganesha must understand the verse before he wrote it. Thus, Vyasa narrated the entire Mahabharata and all the Upanishads and the 18 Puranas, while Lord Ganesha wrote. At one point while writing, Ganesa ran out of ink, therefore he broke one of his tusks and continued writing The Mahabharata (Rodrigues 224). He had also composed the Great Bharata, which tells the story of Janamejaya, Pariksit’s son, and Arjuna’s grandson. The book talked about Janamejaya’s ancestors, the descendants of King Bharata (Rodrigues 182).
What is The Mahabharata about?
The reason that The Mahabharata is a great epic is that it enlightens the 5 main aspects of human life, namely: psychology, sociology, economics, politics and philosophy. It also offers a vision on the four goals of life: Righteousness (Dharma), Wealth (Artha), Enjoyment (Kama) and Salvation (Moksa) (Ramesh 1). Vyasas way of representing these qualities to the society was through the characters of the Epic. The Mahabharata has characters such as Bhiṣma, Krṣṇa, Draupadi, The Paṇḍava and The Kaurava. Rsi Vyasa’s characters are said to be Padachyuta and Dhyeyachyuta. This means that none of them lost their focus from their goals. If we look at The Paṇḍava’s, their goal was to keep the kingdom of Hastinapura with the help of Dharma in place, whereas The Kaurava’s goal was to keep the kingdom of Hastinapura using Adharma. Even if all these characters were on opposite sides, they all stuck to their goals, no matter the situation and stayed focused on that goal. These characters teach us that we should stay focused to achieve our goal. They are the types of characters that even if death was headed their way, they stay focused and loyal to their beliefs. An example can be Abhimanyu (son of Arjuna). During the big Kurukṣetra war, there was a point that the Kauravas were planning an evil game to hurt the Paṇḍava’s, but despite no proper knowledge of how to escape the trap known as the ‘Chakra-Vyooha’ (Chaturvedi 5-6) which the Kauravas had set, he went into that trap and fought against all the evil until his last breath. He knew he was not coming out alive, before going in, but he still went in and fought for Dharma. All these characters make us feel like we can achieve something in life if we stay focused. They also show us the true meaning of Tyaga (sacrifice). The characters that were on the side of Dharma made many sacrifices to do the establishment of Dharma, no matter what the situation. These are the types of character that Vyasa gave us and through them we can learn many lessons in life. There is something to learn from every character despite them being evil or good and Dharmic (Righteous) or Adharmic (Non-Righteous), all characters were able to keep their goals through the Epic, this shows us their loyalty towards their goals and that they can go to any level to stay focused on their goals.
Continuity of Vedic Rituals in The Mahabharata
Vyasa’s participation in Politics
In Ancient Indian Culture Legislation was in the hands of Rsi, and the execution was with the king. There are some examples from Vyasa’s life where we can see how he was related to politics. One example was about the almost extinct Hastinapura kingdom. Satyavati (Vyasa’s mother) had two other sons Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. Vichitravirya was married to Ambika (had a maid named Parishrama) and Ambalika. Vichitravirya dies leaving the kingdom of Hastinapura without a heir. This was when Vyasa was called by Satyavati because at that time, if anyone other than the Rsi wife had a child with a Rsi, it was considered big. Vyasa decided to surrogately father the heirs of Hastinapura (Rodrigues 177). Vyasa visits the three queens of Vichitravirya. Since he was a Rsi, he had a beard, long hair with a bun on top. He was there to grant the three queens a boon so they can have children, and the boon was dependent on how the queens react when they see Vyasa. When the first queen Ambika saw Vyasa, she closed her eyes, which meant that her son was going to be born blind who came to be known as Dhritarashtra, father of the Kauravas. Then, when the second queen Ambalika saw Vyasa, she got sick meaning her son would stay unfit for life; her son was Pandu, father of the Pandavas (Rodrigues 177). Since the two queens were not able to give birth to kids that will be very suitable for the throne, due to their disabilities, he decided to give a boon to Ambika’s maid as well. When Parishrama (the maid of Ambika) saw Vyasa, she didn’t react in a bad way, she was herself and gave birth to a son, Vidura, who was normal and was brilliant. However, he would never be considered to rule the throne since he was the son of a maid. This was the political step taken by Vyasa to save a dynasty from becoming extinct (Ramesh 3). With no descendant, there will be no king therefore Satyavati called Vyasa, even though he was a Rsi. Vidura, despite being a maid’s son, was honest and was against injustice. Therefore, according to Vyasa’s ‘political move’, Vidura was one of the ministers in the kingdom so he can give honest advice to the king. This shows his involvement in politics and since the legislation was in the hand of Vyasa he was authorized to punish the king if king made any mistakes.
Mahabharata- The Critical Edition (Set of 19 Volumes in 22 Books)
Another story about his involvement in politics was that when the Paṇḍava’s had grown up, he sent them to Drupada’s kingdom, where the swayamwara of Draupadi was going on (Rodrigues 179). His intention was that the Pandavas should have a wife like Draupadi who would be a great strength for the Paṇḍavas. He always wanted a powerful woman like Draupadi behind the Paṇḍavas, because she was the type of person who could stand up against injustice, as well as she was the daughter of the Agni. Draupadi was said to be the daughter of Lord Agni, since she came out of the fire pit. After Arjuna had won Draupadi in the swayamwara, Vyasa’s wanted Draupadi to be the wife of all five Paṇḍava’s, not just Arjuna’s wife. At a time when The Mahabharata took place, people thought what a female could not have more than one husband. But once Vyasa made the decision that Draupadi will have five husbands, no one had the audacity to say anything against Vyasa. He also wanted to keep all the brothers together, and so his strategy to make Draupadi the wife of the Pandavas was so that there will be no rift between them in the future. This incident shows us that Vyasa was given great respect from the people of the villages that they did not say anything about what he had done. Their culture did not allow such a practice, but their trust in Vyasa was so deep that they did not utter a word against him. This incident also shows Vyasa’s vision in favor of Dharma and the Pandavas, because if Draupadi was married to Pandavas her father kingdom will support Pandavas in the final battle for Dharma. Thus, by sending the Pandavas to the swayamwara, he had already played his ‘political move’ for the betterment of the Hastinapura kingdom, and the fact that he made Draupadi the wife of all the Pandavas would bring positive changes to the society where women will be given respect, not just considered lower than men, which is the M-1B state (Rodrigues 90).
THE COMPLETE MAHABHARATA: 9 Volumes
The third example can be seen when the Pandavas were in exile for thirteen years, and in disguise for one year (Rodrigues 180). This was when Vyasa goes to give them a visit in the forest. When Vyasa paid the Pandavas a visit, he was furious at them for just sitting around, and not preparing for the future war of The Mahabharata in advance. Vyasa already knew there was going to be a war and to prepare the Pandavas he sent Arjuna to do Tapa (tenacity). This was his ‘political move’, by sending Arjuna to sit in meditation for Lord Siva, and by doing the meditation Arjuna would be able to impress Lord Siva, so when Arjuna impressed Siva, Siva gave Arjuna some Celestial weapons that would be useful for the war (Rodrigues 180).
Significance of Guru Purnima and the reason behind its celebration
This day dedicated to the great Sage Vyasa. A Guru is someone who removes our ignorance. The meaning of Guru comes from ‘Gu’ meaning ignorance and ‘Ru’ meaning remover of ignorance. Guru (teacher) Purṇima (full moon day) is also known as Vyasa Purnima because on that day Vyasa was born as well as he started writing the Brahma Sutras. Vyasa is considered as the original Guru of the Hindus. This festival is a symbol of the Guru and Sisya (student) relationship. Gurus are considered a link between the individual and the immortal. This festival falls in the Hindu month of Ashad (July-August). This is the day for the disciples to pay respect to their Gurus, since Gurus are given great importance in Hinduism. On this day, the disciples or devotees provide seva (service) to their Gurus which grants the disciples their Guru’s grace for their spiritual progress. If the Guru has passed away, then their portrait is worshipped instead. We pick our Guru based on their Gyan (knowledge) and Shraddha (faith) not the age. The word Upanishad also means sitting down with a Guru to gain knowledge. A famous philosopher Adi Sankaracharya has said that “If a person, despite possessing a disease-free body, fame, wealth, and studied the Vedas and Scriptures, and even if he wrote many scriptures, but has not surrendered himself to a Guru, then he would have achieved nothing” (Tumuluru 17-20). A Guru is someone who guides his disciple on the path of self-realization and strengthens their faith. On this day, Bhajans (songs for festivals and special occasions) and performances are organized by ashrams (hermitage). Kabir (Indian poet) said that “If we put God and Guru side by side, we have to pray the Guru first because he is the one through who you can realize God” (Tumuluru 17-20).
Kabir The Weaver of God’s Name
The study of the text Guru Gita (Tumuluru 17-20) is recommended on this day as well as meditation at the Guru’s feet by waking up at 4 am to obtain God’s grace. After waking up to do the meditation the devotees place flowers by the Guru’s picture and light a lamp, some may even keep moun (silence).
गुरुगीता तथा यथार्थ गुरुतत्त्व – Guru Gita and Yatharth Guru Tattva
This day is observed by Monks when they give offerings to the Guru, they also start a four-month seclusion period (a four-month rainy season period) known as the Chatur Masa where they stay at a selected spot and have discourses. This is also an important day for Farmers because it marks the start of rainy season. This festival is also celebrated by Buddhists because it is the day that the Buddha gave his first sermon.
The best way to worship a Guru is to follow their teachings and do their seva by helping the Guru achieving their mission, by spreading the message of their teachings.
Vedas
The Vedas (Sanskrit: वेद veda, “knowledge”) are a large body of knowledge texts originating in the ancient Indian subcontinent. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. Hindus consider the Vedas to be apauruṣeya, which means “not of a man, superhuman” and “impersonal, authorless”.
Vedas are also called śruti (“what is heard”) literature, distinguishing them from other religious texts, which are called smṛti (“what is remembered”). The Veda, for orthodox Indian theologians, are considered revelations seen by ancient sages after intense meditation, and texts that have been more carefully preserved since ancient times. In the Hindu Epic the Mahabharata, the creation of Vedas is credited to Brahma. The Vedic hymns themselves assert that they were skillfully created by Rishis (sages), after inspired creativity, just as a carpenter builds a chariot.
There are four Vedas: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda. Each Veda has been subclassified into four major text types – the Samhitas (mantras and benedictions), the Aranyakas (text on rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices and symbolic-sacrifices), the Brahmanas (commentaries on rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices), and the Upanishads (texts discussing meditation, philosophy and spiritual knowledge). Some scholars add a fifth category – the Upasanas (worship).
The various Indian philosophies and denominations have taken differing positions on the Vedas. Schools of Indian philosophy which cite the Vedas as their scriptural authority are classified as “orthodox” (āstika). Other śramaṇa traditions, such as Lokayata, Carvaka, Ajivika, Buddhism and Jainism, which did not regard the Vedas as authorities, are referred to as “heterodox” or “non-orthodox” (nāstika) schools. Despite their differences, just like the texts of the śramaṇa traditions, the layers of texts in the Vedas discuss similar ideas and concepts.
The Sanskrit word véda “knowledge, wisdom” is derived from the root vid- “to know”. This is reconstructed as being derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *u̯eid-, meaning “see” or “know”.
The noun is from Proto-Indo-European *u̯eidos, cognate to Greek (ϝ)εἶδος “aspect”, “form” . Not to be confused is the homonymous 1st and 3rd person singular perfect tense véda, cognate to Greek (ϝ)οἶδα (w)oida “I know”. Root cognates are Greek ἰδέα, English wit, etc., Latin videō “I see”, etc.
The Sanskrit term veda as a common noun means “knowledge”. The term in some contexts, such as hymn 10.93.11 of the Rigveda, means “obtaining or finding wealth, property”, while in some others it means “a bunch of grass together” as in a broom or for ritual fire.
A related word Vedena appears in hymn 8.19.5 of the Rigveda. It was translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith as “ritual lore”, as “studying the Veda” by the 14th century Indian scholar Sayana, as “bundle of grass” by Max Müller, and as “with the Veda” by H.H. Wilson.
Vedas are called Maṛai or Vaymoli in parts of South India. Marai literally means “hidden, a secret, mystery”. In some south Indian communities such as Iyengars, the word Veda includes the Tamil writings of the Alvar saints, such as Divya Prabandham, for example Tiruvaymoli.
The Vedas are among the oldest sacred texts. The Samhitas date to roughly 1700–1100 BC, and the “circum-Vedic” texts, as well as the redaction of the Samhitas, date to c. 1000-500 BC, resulting in a Vedic period, spanning the mid 2nd to mid 1st millennium BC, or the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age. The Vedic period reaches its peak only after the composition of the mantra texts, with the establishment of the various shakhas all over Northern India which annotated the mantra samhitas with Brahmana discussions of their meaning, and reaches its end in the age of Buddha and Panini and the rise of the Mahajanapadas (archaeologically, Northern Black Polished Ware). Michael Witzel gives a time span of c. 1500 to c. 500-400 BC. Witzel makes special reference to the Near Eastern Mitanni material of the 14th century BC the only epigraphic record of Indo-Aryan contemporary to the Rigvedic period. He gives 150 BC (Patañjali) as a terminus ante quem for all Vedic Sanskrit literature, and 1200 BC (the early Iron Age) as terminus post quem for the Atharvaveda.
Transmission of texts in the Vedic period was by oral tradition, preserved with precision with the help of elaborate mnemonic techniques. A literary tradition is traceable in post-Vedic times, after the rise of Buddhism in the Maurya period, perhaps earliest in the Kanva recension of the Yajurveda about the 1st century BC; however oral tradition of transmission remained active. Witzel suggests the possibility of written Vedic texts towards the end of 1st millennium BCE. Some scholars such as Jack Goody state that “the Vedas are not the product of an oral society”, basing this view by comparing inconsistencies in the transmitted versions of literature from various oral societies such as the Greek, Serbia and other cultures, then noting that the Vedic literature is too consistent and vast to have been composed and transmitted orally across generations, without being written down. However, adds Goody, the Vedic texts likely involved both a written and oral tradition, calling it a “parallel products of a literate society”.
Due to the ephemeral nature of the manuscript material (birch bark or palm leaves), surviving manuscripts rarely surpass an age of a few hundred years. The Sampurnanand Sanskrit University has a Rigveda manuscript from the 14th century; however, there are a number of older Veda manuscripts in Nepal that are dated from the 11th century onwards.
7 Facts About Veda Vyasa, Compiler of the Vedas
Veda Vyasa (Krishna Dvaipayana) is popularly known as the author and a character in one of the greatest epics – “Mahabharata.” Veda Vyasa in the Sanskrit language means “one who classified the Vedas.” Veda Vyasa is also known to be the transcriber of Vedas and Puranas.
Here are some interesting facts about Veda Vyasa.
1. Birth of Veda Vyasa
Vyasa is also considered one of the seven Chiranjivi (long-lived, or immortals), who are still in existence according to Hindu belief. He was born by the end of Treta Yuga and observed the whole of Dwapar Yuga.
2. Birthplace of Veda Vyasa
There are two different views regarding his birthplace. One suggests that he was born in the Tanahun district in western Nepal. Vyas municipality of Tanahun district in Gandaki State is named after his birthplace.
Another view suggests that he was born on an island in the Yamuna River near Kalpi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
However, both stories say that he was born on an island made by River. He is also known as Dwaipayana, meaning ‘island-born.
3. Who was Veda Vyasa born to?
As a young woman, Satyavati met the wandering sage Parashara while ferrying the latter across a river. The sage requested Satyavati to satisfy his sexual needs. She agreed only after he promised to bless her with the boon of ‘virginity intact,’ lifelong youth, and a bodily fragrance as strong as that of a musk deer.
4. Is Veda Vyasa the avatar of Lord Vishnu?
According to the “Vishnu Purana,” “Veda Vyasa” is a title applied to the compilers of the Vedas who are avatars of Vishnu. Twenty-eight people with the title of “Veda Vyasa” have appeared so far. He is believed to be one of the 24 avatars of Lord Vishnu.
5. Did Veda Vyasa write his literacy alone?
Technically, Lord Ganesha wrote down all of Ved Vyasa’s literacy under Vyasa’s dictation. Ved Vyasa is credited with scripting the Vedic knowledge into the written form with Ganesha as his scribe. He divided Vedic knowledge into 4 Vedas for easy comprehension. Such division was done once every few sages to make it easier for the people to grasp the spiritual knowledge. Ved Vyasa was divided the Vedas for the 28th time.
6. What relation did he have with other characters in Mahabharata?
Mother of Veda Vyasa, Satyavati, later married King Shantanu, the father of Bhishma. Her father, chief of fishermen, imposed the condition that her sons would inherit the throne. By then, Shantanu had already declared Bhishma as the prince and heir to the throne. To get Shantanu out of distress, his son Bhishma pledged to serve Satyavati’s offspring. He was never to claim any right to the throne, which rightfully belonged to him. Therefore, Bhishma and Veda Vyasa are stepbrothers.
Satyavati had two sons, but eventually, both of them died one after the other. After the younger son, Vichitravirya, died, Satyavati requested Ved Vyasa to perform niyoga on Ambika and Ambalika, the two widows.
Niyoga is an ancient Hindu ritual of impregnating (whether physically or by projecting spiritual energy is unknown) a woman at her request to help her bear a child if the latter’s husband is dead or incapable of doing so.
7. Which festival is celebrated after Veda Vyasa?
The festival of Guru Purnima is dedicated to him. It is also known as Vyasa Purnima, for it is the day believed to be both his birthday and the day he divided the Vedas.
Vyasa
“The happiness which comes from long practice, which leads to the end of suffering, which at first is like poison, but at last like nectar – this kind of happiness arises from the serenity of one’s own mind”. – Vyasa
Vyasa
Vyasa is the legendary author of the Mahabharata, Vedas and Puranas, some of the most important works in the Hindu tradition. He is also called Veda Vyāsa (वेदव्यासः, veda-vyāsaḥ, “the one who classified the Vedas”) or Krishna Dvaipāyana (referring to his dark complexion and birthplace).
The festival of Guru Purnima is dedicated to him. It is also known as Vyasa Purnima, the day believed to be both of his birth and when he divided the Vedas. Vyasa is considered one of the seven Chiranjivis (long-lived, or immortals), who are still in existence according to Hindu tradition.
Early life
Vyasa appears for the first time as the compiler of, and an important character in, the Mahabharata. It is said that he was the expansion of the God Vishnu, who came in Dwaparayuga to make all the Vedic knowledge from oral tradition available in written form. He was the son of Satyavati, adopted daughter of the fisherman Dusharaj and the wandering sage Parashara, who is credited with being the author of the first Purana, Vishnu Purana. He was born on an island in the river Yamuna. Due to his dark complexion, Vyasa was also given the name Krishna, in addition to the name Dwaipayana, meaning “island-born”.
According to the Vishnu Purana, Vyasa was born on an island of the Yamuna at Kalpi.
According to legend, in a previous life Vyasa was the Sage Apantaratamas, who was born when Lord Vishnu uttered the syllable “Bhu”. He was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Since birth, he already possessed the knowledge of the Vedas, the Dharmashastras and the Upanishads. At Vishnu’s behest, he was reborn as Vyasa.
Vyasa was the son of Sage Parashara and great grandson of Sage Vashistha. Prior to Vyasa’s birth, Parashara had performed a severe penance to Lord Shiva. Shiva granted a boon that Parashara’s son would be a Brahmarshi equal to Vashistha and would be famous for his knowledge. Parashara begot Vyasa with Satyavati. She conceived and immediately gave birth to Vyasa. Vyasa became an adult and left, promising his mother that he would come to her when needed.
Vyasa acquired his knowledge from the four Kumaras, Narada and Lord Brahma himself.
Vyasa is believed to have lived on the banks of Ganga in modern-day Uttarakhand. The site was also the ritual home of the sage Vashishta, along with the Pandavas, the five brothers of the Mahabharata.
Role In Mahabharata
According to the Mahabharata, the sage Vyasa was the son of Satyavati and Parashara. During her youth, Satyavati was a fisherwoman who used to drive a boat. One day, sage Parashara was in a hurry to attend a Yajna. Satyavati helped him cross the river borders. Parashara was enchanted by the beauty of Satyavati and wanted his heir from her. Initially she did not agree to his demand telling that other saints would see them, and her purity would be questioned. So Parashara created a secret place with bushes and Satyavati agreed. Satyavati later gave birth to Vyasa. Parashara took away Vyasa with him when he was born. She kept this incident a secret, not telling even King Shantanu whom she was married to later.
After many years, Shantanu and Satyavati had two sons, named Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. Chitrangada was killed by Gandharvas in a battle, while Vichitravirya was weak and ill all the time. Satyavati then asked Bhisma to fetch queens for Vichitravirya. Bhishma attended the swayamvara conducted by the king of Kashi (present-day Varanasi), and defeated all the kings. Amba openly rebuted the swayamvara as she was in love with the prince of shalva, which was against the rule of swayamvara. Later bhishma came to know that King of Kashi did not know about the love of his elder daughter, so Bhishma released Amba and allowed her to go to Shalva kingdom and marry the prince who later rejected her. She came back to Bhishma and asked him to marry her, which he could not due to his vow of life long celibacy. She shuttled between Bhishma and Shalva with no success. Due to this she vowed to kill Bhishma. During the wedding ceremony, Vichitravirya collapsed and died. Satyavati was clueless on how to save the clan from perishing. She asked Bhishma to marry both the queens, who refused citing his vow and the promise that he made to her and his father, never to marry. He, therefore, could not father an heir to the kingdom. Later, Satyavati revealed to Bhishma, secrets from her past life and requested h*im to bring Vyasa to Hastinapur.
Sage Vyasa had a fierce personality and a bright, glowing spiritual aura around him. Hence upon seeing him, Ambika who was rather scared shut her eyes, resulting in their child, Dhritarashtra, being born blind. The other queen, Ambalika, turned pale upon meeting Vyasa, which resulted in their child, Pandu, being born pale. Alarmed, Satyavati requested that Vyasa meet Ambika again and grant her another son. Ambika instead sent her maid to meet Vyasa. The duty-bound maid was calm and composed; she had a healthy child who was later named Vidura.
While these are Vyasa’s sons, another son Shuka, born of his wife Pinjalā (Vatikā), daughter of the sage Jābāli was his true spiritual heir. Shuka appears occasionally in the story as a spiritual guide to the young Kuru princes.
Veda Vyasa
Hindus traditionally hold that Vyasa categorised the primordial single Veda into three canonical collections and that the fourth one, known as Atharvaveda, was recognized as Veda only very much later. Hence he was called Veda Vyasa, or “Splitter of the Vedas,” the splitting being a feat that allowed people to understand the divine knowledge of the Veda. The word vyasa means split, differentiate or describe.
The Vishnu Purana has a theory about Vyasa. The Hindu view of the universe is that of a cyclic phenomenon that comes into existence and dissolves repeatedly. Each cycle is presided over by a number of Manus, one for each Manvantara, that has four ages, Yugas of declining virtues. The Dvapara Yuga is the third Yuga. The Vishnu Purana (Book 3, Ch 3) says:
In every third world age (Dvapara), Vishnu, in the person of Vyasa, in order to promote the good of mankind, divides the Veda, which is properly but one, into many portions. Observing the limited perseverance, energy and application of mortals, he makes the Veda fourfold, to adapt it to their capacities; and the bodily form which he assumes, in order to effect that classification, is known by the name of Veda-vyasa. Of the different Vyasas in the present Manvantara and the branches which they have taught, you shall have an account. Twenty-eight times have the Vedas been arranged by the great Rishis in the Vaivasvata Manvantara… and consequently eight and twenty Vyasas have passed away; by whom, in the respective periods, the Veda has been divided into four. The first… distribution was made by Svayambhu (Brahma) himself; in the second, the arranger of the Veda (Vyasa) was Prajapati… (and so on up to twenty-eight).
As per Vishnu Purana, Guru Drona’s son rishi Aswatthama will become the next sage (Vyasa) and will divide the Veda in 29th Mahayuga of 7th Manvantara.
Works
Vyasa is traditionally known as the chronicler of this epic and also features as an important character in Mahābhārata, Vyasa asks Ganesha to assist him in writing the text. Ganesha imposes a precondition that he would do so only if Vyasa would narrate the story without a pause. Vyasa set a counter-condition that Ganesha understand the verses first before transcribing them. Thus Vyasa narrated the entire Mahābhārata and all the Upanishads and the 18 Puranas, while Lord Ganesha wrote.
Vyasa’s Jaya (literally, “victory”), the core of the Mahabharata, is a dialogue between Dhritarashtra (the Kuru king and the father of the Kauravas, who opposed the Pāndavas in the Kurukshetra War) and Sanjaya, his adviser and charioteer. Sanjaya narrates the particulars of the Kurukshetra War, fought in eighteen days, chronologically. Dhritarashtra at times asks questions and expresses doubts, sometimes lamenting, fearing the destruction the war would bring on his family, friends and kin.
Sanjaya, in the beginning, gives a description of the various continents of the Earth and numerous planets, and focuses on the Indian subcontinent.[citation needed] Large and elaborate lists are given, describing hundreds of kingdoms, tribes, provinces, cities, towns, villages, rivers, mountains, forests, etc. of the (ancient) Indian subcontinent (Bhārata Varsha). Additionally, he gives descriptions of the military formations adopted by each side on each day, the death of individual heroes and the details of the war-races. Eighteen chapters of Vyasa’s Jaya constitute the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text in Hinduism. Thus, the Jaya deals with diverse subjects, such as geography, history, warfare, religion and morality.
The final version of Vyasa’s work is the Mahābhārata. It is structured as a narration by Ugrasrava Sauti, a professional storyteller, to an assembly of rishis who, in the forest of Naimisha, had just attended the 12 year sacrifice known as Saunaka, also known as Kulapati.
Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa
Vyasa (Sanskrit: व्यास), literally “Compiler”) is also sometimes called Veda Vyāsa (वेदव्यास, veda-vyāsa, “the one who classified the Vedas”) or Krishna Dvaipāyana (referring to his complexion and birthplace). He is generally considered the author of the Mahabharata, as well as a character in it. He is considered to be the scribe of both the Vedas and Puranas. According to the Vishnu Purana, there has been one Vyasa every Dvapara Yuga and in this Manvantara 28 Dvapara Yugas have gone by and as many Vyasas – all Avatars of Vishnu, including the last one Vyasa-Krishna Dvaipayana-had appeared to divide the Vedas. According to this Purana, Ashwatthaman, son of Drona, will be the 29th Ved Vyasa in the next Dvapara Yuga.
The festival of Guru Purnima is dedicated to him. It is also known as Vyasa Purnima, for it is the day believed to be both his birthday and the day he divided the Vedas.
Vyasa appears for the first time as the compiler of, and an important character in, the Mahabharata. It is said that he was the expansion of the god Vishnu who came in Dvapara Yuga to make all the Vedic knowledge available in written form which was available in spoken form at that time. He was the son of Satyavati, daughter of Vasu Uparichara and the adopted daughter of the fisherman Dasharaj, and sage Parashara (who is credited with being the author of the first Purana: Vishnu Purana), son of sage Vasishtha.
Vyasawas born on an island in the river Yamuna river near Kalpi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Vyasa is believed to have lived on the banks of Ganga in modern-day Uttarakhand. The place was also the abode of sage Vasishta, the great grandfather of Vyasa. Vyasa was dark-complexioned and hence was called by the name Krishna, and also the name Dwaipayana, meaning ‘island-born’. Dhritarashtra born of Ambika, and Pandu, born of Ambalika and Vidura born to a maid, were born from Vyasa’s powers (Siddhis).
Vyasa’s father Parashara was a great Rishi and one of the supreme authorities on astrology and his book Parashara Hora is still a textbook on astrology. He has also written a Smriti known as Parashara Smriti which is held in such high esteem that it is quoted by our present-day writers on sociology and ethics. Parashara came to know that a child, conceived at a particular Ghatika or moment of time, would be born as the greatest man of the age, nay, as an Amsa of Lord Vishnu Himself. On that day, Parashara was travelling in a boat and he spoke to the boatman about the nearing of that auspicious time. The boatman had a daughter who was of age and awaiting marriage. He was impressed with the sanctity and greatness of the Rishi and offered his daughter in marriage to Parashara. Our Vyasa was born of this union and his birth is said to be due to the blessing of Lord Shiva Himself who blessed the union of a sage with a Jnani of the highest order, although of a low caste.
At a very tender age Vyasa gave out to his parents the secret of his life that he should go to the forest and do un-broken Tapas. His mother at first did not agree, but later gave permission on one important condition that he should appear before her whenever she wished for his presence. Puranas say that Vyasa took initiation at the hands of his twenty-first Guru, sage Vasudeva. He studied the Shastras under sages Sanaka and Sananda and others. He arranged the Vedas for the good of mankind and wrote the Brahma Sutras for the quick and easy understanding of the Srutis; he also wrote the Mahabharata to enable humans to understand the highest knowledge in the easiest way. Vyasa wrote the eighteen Puranas and established the system of teaching them through Upakhyanas or discourses. In this way, he established the three paths, viz., Karma, Upasana and Jnana. To him is also attributed the fact that he continued the line of his mother and that Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura were his progeny. Vyasa’s last work was the Bhagavata which he undertook at the instigation of Devarshi Narada who once came to him and advised him to write it as, without it, his goal in life would not be reached.
Vyasa is considered by all Hindus as a Chiranjivi, one who is still living and roaming throughout the world for the well-being of his devotees. It is said that he appears to the true and the faithful and that Jagadguru Sankaracharya had his Darshan in the house of sage Mandana Misra and that he appeared to many others as well. Thus, in short, Vyasa lives for the welfare of the world.
Ved Vyas: The Author of the Mahabharata and the Compiler of the Vedas
Introduction
Vyasa is one of the most important figures in Hinduism. He is credited with compiling the Vedas, the oldest Hindu scriptures, and with writing the Mahabharata, one of the two major Hindu epics.
Vyasa is also revered as a sage and a teacher. He is said to have had a profound influence on Hindu thought and practice.
Who is Vyas?
Vyasa is also known as Veda Vyasa, Krishna Dvaipayana, and Parashara. He is said to be the son of the sage Parashara and the princess Satyavati.
According to legend, Vyasa was born on an island in the Yamuna River. He was named Dvaipayana, meaning “island-born,” because of his birthplace.
Vyasa was a precocious child. He is said to have mastered the Vedas and other scriptures at a very young age.
Is Vyas a human or an avatar of Vishnu?
There are two different schools of thought on whether or not Vyasa is a human or an avatar of Vishnu.
Some Hindus believe that Vyasa is a human being. They point to the fact that he was born of a human mother and that he lived a human life.
Other Hindus believe that Vyasa is an avatar of Vishnu. They point to the fact that he is credited with compiling the Vedas and the Mahabharata, two of the most important Hindu scriptures.
The Bhagavata Purana, a Vaishnava scripture, states that Vyasa is a partial incarnation of Vishnu. This means that he is not a full incarnation of Vishnu, but he does possess some of Vishnu’s powers and attributes.
How did Vyas become an avatar of Vishnu?
According to the Bhagavata Purana, Vyasa became an avatar of Vishnu in order to compile the Vedas and the Mahabharata.
Before Vyasa’s time, the Vedas were not compiled into a single text. They were scattered among many different schools and traditions.
Vyasa compiled the Vedas into four Vedas: the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda, and the Atharva Veda. He also wrote the Mahabharata, which is a story of the war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
The Bhagavata Purana states that Vishnu chose to incarnate as Vyasa in order to preserve the Vedas and the Mahabharata for future generations.
Vyasa’s contributions to Hinduism
Vyasa is one of the most important figures in Hinduism. He is credited with compiling the Vedas, the oldest Hindu scriptures, and with writing the Mahabharata, one of the two major Hindu epics.
Vyasa’s contributions to Hinduism are immense. He is responsible for preserving and transmitting the Vedic tradition for future generations. His writings have had a profound influence on Hindu thought and practice for thousands of years.
Conclusion
Vyasa is a complex and fascinating figure. He is revered as a sage, a teacher, and an avatar of Vishnu. His contributions to Hinduism are immense.
Whether you believe that Vyasa is a human or an avatar of Vishnu, it is clear that he is one of the most important figures in Hindu history.
Additional thoughts
It is important to note that there is no one definitive answer to the question of whether or not Vyasa is a human or an avatar of Vishnu. Different Hindus have different beliefs about this topic
Maharishi Vyasa, architect of Vedas
Maharishi Vyasa is one of those gigantic personalities who designed the grand civilisation of India and transformed the land into the most sacred place on the earth. Vyasa, the worthy son of the great seer Parashara and Satyavati, was an intellectual giant (visalabuddhi), a great yogi (mahayogi), holder of an ocean of knowledge and even a great social scientist and social reformer. Because of his unusual birth in an island of Yamuna, the seer is known as Dvaipayana Vyasa. He is also known as Krishna or Krishna Dvaipayana. Vyasa because of his dark physical complexion (Adi Parva). He is also known as Badarayana Vyasa.
His contribution to the erection of the grand civilisation of India is multi-dimensional and immeasurable and, perhaps, beyond the comprehensions of a common human being. Among his colossal contributions to the land, the foremost was to divide the Vedas — one of the earliest literature of not only of India but also of the whole world which was a single gamut in the beginning without classifications and divisions. It was the great seer Vyasa who systematically divided the huge volume of Vedic literature into four parts namely: Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda and imparted them to four of his worthy disciples namelyPaila, Vaisampayana, Jaimini and Sumantu respectively for further transmission of knowledge. This division of the Vedas made it comparatively accessible to the later generation and facilitated further growth and ramifications of the literature. This grand job brought him the name ‘Veda Vyasa’.
His second extraordinary contribution to the land is the unbelievably huge literary work the Mahabharata, which has the honour of being one of the largest books in the whole world with no less than one lakh marvelous verses in it for which it is also known as Satasahasri Samhita (book of one hundred thousand slokas). The Mahabharata is not a commonplace story book with an imaginary plot but also an authentic record of past history of the country. It is one of the two grand historical works, the other one being the great Ramayana, another great documentation of past happenings of our country. These are the two significant works for which the word itihasa was coined in the vocabulary. The word itihasa which is widely used in Sanskrit and other Indian languages even at present time to mean ‘history’. It is a mixture of three words ‘Iti’, ‘ha’ and ‘asa’, roughly meaning ‘it was like that’.
With the composition of the two great works, India acquired the honour of being the first country in the world to have recorded the past history of the land. Acceptance of these books as works of history is authenticated by profuse evidences available in the books itself (Itihasamimam, Anukramanika Parva) and in the subsequent literature composed on the land. Thus, Maharshi Vyasa is one of the first two historians not only of India but of the whole world. Apart from its being a book of history, Mahabharata is a veritable repository of Dharma (righteousness), Artha (material prosperity), Kama (gratification of permissible desires) and Moksa (liberation).
Not only this, the variegated culture of the land, various social norms and traditions of the same are perfectly knitted in the fabric of the Mahabharata. Vyasa, in this work has incorporated many social customs of the country unknown to the larger mass. He has undertaken the work of a social reformer by extending social sanctions to many unknown or little known customs of the country like polyandry, Niyoga (having a descendant for the family from a man other than one’s husband), and social acceptance for the child of an unwed mother etc. In spite of its unbelievably huge size and importance, the Mahabharata was completed by the exeptionally intellectual Vyasa just in three years (Tribhirvarsaih sadothayi krisnadwaipayano munih — Adi Parva).
Vyasa is the author of the basic sutra literature of Vedanta philosophy known as Brahma Sutra too. The Brahma Sutra, divided into four parts and comprising of five hundred fifty five sutras, written on the basis of the Upanishads’ knowledge is the foundation on which the great Vedanta philosophy with all its divisions and fractions could develop.
The next contribution of maharshi Vyasa to the land is the composition of the remarkable group of literature called the Puranas which are the repository of every branch of Indian knowledge. The Purana, which literally means ‘old’, is the class of literature which describes the creation, the dissolution, great happenings, great personalities, the chronology, astronomy, astrology, medical science, agriculture, veterinary and what not. The Puranas authored by Maharshi Vyasa are eighteen in number namely Matsya Purana, Markandeya Purana, Varaha Purana, Bhavishya Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Brahma Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Brahmananda Purana, Vamana Purana, Kurma Purana, Vishnu Purana, Agni Purana, Naradiya Purana, Padma Purana, Shiva Purana, linga Purana, Garuda Purana and Skanda Purana.
He is the writer of the great commentary of The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali named after him as Vyasa-bhasya. The book The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali would not have been comprehensible to the common mind if the Vyasa-bhasya were not written on the book.
All these contributions astound a common mind and often raises a question how a human being with limited longevity could compose so many works in a single life time. But the doubt is not inexplicable. Maharshi Vyasa was a great yogi (mahayogi, Adi Parva). And yoga is that magic wand which transforms a man to a superman by breaking all the circumscribing limits of his capability. The potential of a yogi has no bound. Mahayogi Vyasa had all the siddhis of a siddha yogi. He could know the past and future within the blink of an eye. He could read the unexpressed thoughts of others (parachittajnana siddhi) and could reach anywhere with the speed of the mind (manojavitwa siddhi) and many more extraordinary capabilities of which there are copious examples in the Mahabharata. Being a yogi of the highest order he was capable of prolonging his life span according to his sweet will.
This great poet, intellectual, benevolent mahayogi Vyasa purified the land of Bharat by his birth on the full moon day of Ashadha in the Dvapara era. In commemoration, the day is named Vyasa Purnima or Guru Purnima as a gesture of gratitude. The proud descendants of this great civilisation pay their heartfelt humble obeisance at the feet of this great ancestor on the sacred day.
WHAT WE OWE TO VEDA-VYASA
THE MAHASVAMI OF KANCHI
Vyasa is known as Veda-Vyasa. There were many Vedas. Before the commencement of Kali yuga, and at the end of Dvapara-yuga, Bhagavan Vyasa classified the Vedas into four. He thought: “In the yuga that is to commence, the life-span of people will be short; their memory- power will be weak; the super-normal powers of yoga will decrease; something should be done in order to save the Veda from utter destruction”.
Bright day is succeeded by dark night; rainy season is followed by severe summer. So also, if at one time the Veda flourishes, at another time it is found to be on the decline. At that time, the Veda should be protected:
What should be done?
In rural areas, when days are short and nights are long, during night-time when the sky is dark, there could be cases of theft. At that time, if ten people keep watch by going round the village, will not cases of theft become less? Similarly, in the Kali-yuga that was about to commence, if the entire Veda was not to be lost, at least four people, if not all, might each save a part of the Veda. Thus thought Vyasa, and classified the Veda into four: Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharvana. He taught the four Vedas to four sages (rishis), one to each, so that the Veda would be in vogue from generation to generation, each hearing the Veda and reciting with the proper intonation, and thus transmitting it without a break. The four sages were: Sumantu, Paila, Jaimini, and Vaisampayana. Vyasa entrusted the four Vedas to them: to Jairnini Sama Veda, to Vaisampayana, Yajur Veda, to Sumantu. Rig Veda, and to Paila Atharvana Veda.
The entire Veda is full of mantras. If the mantras are repeated with great restraint and purity, by the operation of those mantras, good will rebound to the world. In order to achieve this end, restraint and purity are absolutely necessary. There are rules regarding the time when the Veda should be recited. One should not read from a book. Veda is Sruti, what is heard; one should hear it and utter it correctly.
In order to facilitate this, there are certain auxiliary disciplines. The Veda should be studied along with the auxiliaries. Those who entrusted with the task of preserving the Veda should observe the rules strictly. All that they have to do in the world is nothing but this. If the Veda is thus preserved, the entire world will fare well. It is not possible for all to devote themselves to this task. At least the sages (Rishis) and those who have come in their line should spend their whole time in preserving the Veda. And so it was that Maharshi Vyasa divided the Vedas into four and taught them to the four sages.
For the Veda itself, one of its names is rishi. Therefore, the one who sees a Vedic mantra is also called rishi.
Rishayo mantra-drashtaah
The rishis are the seers of mantra. The meaning of this statement is not ‘seeing with the eyes what is written in a book’.
There is the radio. The receiver receives the sound waves and amplifies them. There is the tape-recorder. What I speak now, it records and keeps. Whenever we want, at whatever time, it reproduces the same sound-waves. But, only if I speak, the recorder will take it on the tape.
Any number of sounds, from beginning-less time, pervade the ether. Through the practice of yoga, the rishis grasp the powers of mantra, the beginning-less sounds. It is those who have the ability to grasp in this manner that are called ‘seers’. Just as Arjuna beheld the cosmic form (visva-rupa) of Maha Vishnu, these sages grasped, by their yogic power, the mantras which are of the nature of beginning-less sounds.
There is a special yoga-sastra which explains this matter. In that text there is reference to ‘divine ear’ (divyasrotra). With the ordinary eye we can see only upto a certain distance. What cannot be seen with the external eye can be seen with the inner eye. With the latter we can see things at any distance. The Lord says in the Gita:
“divyam dadaami te chakshuh”
“I shall give thee eye divine”. The inner eye has the power to see what is limitless.
Similarly, with the ordinary ear we hear the outer sounds. But through yogic practice and meditation, one acquires the power to hear the beginning-less sounds that are in ether, Those, who can in this way grasp — i.e. see the mantras, of the form of sounds, are called rishis. The mantras seen by them are also termed rishis. The knowledge that makes known what are supersensory is referred to as the Veda.
From time immemorial, the descendants of rishis preserved the Veda without the aid of a book. When we utter ‘abhivadana’ we mention the line of rishis to which we belong, the particular gotra, and sutra. From this we learn the rishi line in which we have come.
If a medicine is brought and kept without use for some time it loses its potency. Similarly, if the Veda is not repeatedly studied, the power of its mantras will diminish. In order to regain for it the power, along with puja and homa the mantra should be repeated many a time. For all lapses, what serves as the sure recompense is the repetition of Gayatri.
The main aim of those who are descended from the rishis should be to protect the Veda. Earning, eating etc., are only subordinate avocations.
‘With a view to preserve the limitless Veda from destruction in the Kali- yuga, Maharshi Vyasa classified the Veda into four and taught it to four of his disciples. He did so, thinking that in the line of each disciple at least one of the Vedic branches might be studied.
After teaching his four disciples the Veda which has to be preserved through observing restraints and purity, Vyasa wrote the eighteen Puranas and the Mahabharata, embodying in them the essence of the Vedas, in order that all people might be benefited and taught these texts to Suta. This Suta was born in the Suta family he is celebrated as Suta Puranika.
We usually imagine that varna is jati; but it is not so. Varnas are four; but jatis are stated to be more than twenty in the Manu-smriti, and more than fifty in the Suta-samhita. In the Yajur Veda, seventh Kanda, there is mention, similarly, of many jatis.
Sometimes it so happened that a person belonging to one varna had to marry one that belonged to another varna; To which varna, could we say the child born to them belongs? If the woman is of the Vaisya caste and the man of the Kshatriya caste, or if the woman is of the Kshatriya caste and the man is of the Brahman caste, the progeny in such cases is said to belong to anuloma clans. This is the general name. There are also separate names for the clans. On the contrary, if the woman is of the Kshatriya caste and the man of the Vaisya caste, or if the woman is of the Brahmana caste and the man of Kshatriya caste, the progeny in such cases is said to belong to pratiloma clans.
Suta was born in such a clan, Seeing his ability and knowledge, Vyasa selected him for the status mentioned above. He was the first one made eligible to receive the eighteen Puranas. Vyasa taught him the Puranas, and blessed him so that he could teach the Puranas to people belonging to all the castes and clans.
After accomplishing all these, Vyasa wrote a work expounding the nature of Brahman the supreme reality, that is the purport of all the earlier works he had written. The name of that work is Brahma-sutra. It is also known as Bhikshu-sutra and Vyasa-sutra. Another name of Vyasa is Badarayana.
The age in which Vyasa lived is the end of Dvapara-yuga. We may take it that he was born as an avatara before the commencement of Kali-yuga, Anjaneya, Vyasa, Asvathama, Bali and such others live for ever.
To Vyasa’s Brahma-sutra, many teachers who came after him wrote commentaries. Of those commentators, our Acharya, Sankara Bhagavatpada, is one. Of the extant commentaries, his is the earliest. There should have been commentaries prior to his. This is known from the references in Sankara’s commentary. But, who were those commentators, it is not possible to say definitely. In his explanation of the sutras, the Acharya makes such remarks as follows: “For this sutra, they give this meaning. These views may be accepted. This is wrong. It is better to say thus”. From such remarks it may be inferred that there were several commentaries before the Acharya.
After the Acharya’s bhashya came the commentaries of Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya written according to the Vaishnava traditions. Ramanujacharya remained in Srirangam. Madhvacharya belonged to South Canara. Vallabhacharya who was in Gujarat wrote a commentary. Many saints and merchants of Gujarat regard him as their guru. He hailed from Andhra, but settled down in Gujarat. A Matha belonging to this order is in Madras too, in Sowcarpet.
Thus, many teachers have written commentaries on the Brahma-sutra. In South India, the best-known commentaries are those of Sankara, Ramanuja and Madhva. Mostly, it is these three that are taught to students. Shastraic discussions are held as based on these three; and periodical examinations are also conducted.
Srikantacharya wrote a commentary following the Saiva tradition; Appayya Dikshitar has written a lengthy gloss on this. In order to provide for the study of it by five-hundred students, the ruler of those times made a gift of lands. There is an inscription relating to this in the temple near Arni. Some of the Saivacharyas who officiate in Siva temple have studied that gloss. But this gloss is not widely known. Most scholars know only of the three commentaries referred to already.
When we consider the sutra and the Veda of these scholars, it is seen that they belong to one or other of the three Vedas Rig, Yajur, and Sama. That the Atharvana Veda was in vogue in our country until three or four centuries ago is known from inscriptions.
In Orissa, North India, there are eighteen clans of Brahmins. Of these, one is called Atharvanika. In the territories of Kosala and Gujarat, there are four or five scholars who have studied the Atharvanaveda. Near Tindivanam there is a place called Perani, and another known as Ennayiram; near Kanchipuram there is a place, Walajabad. There are quite a few inscriptions in these places. When we examine the inscriptions of Chola and Tondaimnandalam, we come to know that in those far-off days there were scholars well-versed in Atharvana-Veda.
There are some sutras: e.g. Apastamba-Sutra Bodhavana-Sutra, Asvalayana- Sutra, etc. The source of all these was Vyasa. For the commentaries of our Acharya, of Ramanuja. of Madhva, of Srikantha, of Vallabha, and of others, the basic text is Vyasa’s Brahma-sutra. Whatever be one’s Veda, the one who taught the Veda to the rishi who handed it down to us, was Vyasa.
There may be several branches. Seeing the branches, we may think: ‘One branch is in one direction; another branch is right in the opposite direction. What relation there could be between the two?” But when we look down the tree, we realize that the trunk-and the root-is one and the same. Similarly, for our Vedas, Sutras, Puranas etc., the root is Vyasa. Let us honour his picture at least, and let us not forget the Veda; and let us unite in doing our allotted work.
The Veda should be studied by all. Not studying is a sin. For the sin, could not one pay a penalty? Collecting at the rate of rupee one from each person that does not study the Veda, with the money that is thus collected, the Vedic scholars should be honoured : this is the idea. Should we not respect those who have preserved the Veda through oral tradition, without the aid of any book? We may differ when it is a question of philosophy. I may be an advaitin, and you a Visishtadvaitin., and so on. All these schools of philosophy are the branches of one tree. In matters philosophical, let us differ. For me Sankara is great; for another Ramanuja. Let this be so. But all of us whatever be our respective philosophical pursuits, are under an obligation to honour Vyasa. We should celebrate his services by taking out his portrait in procession.
It is Veda-Vyasa who has enabled the Veda to survive during such a long stretch of time. We should honour him; that is our duty.
OM TAT SAT
Maharishi Veda Vyasa and his Contributions
The greatest sage, Vyasa, is the compiler and important participant in the Mahabharata. He is one of the Avatara of Lord Vishnu, who came to Dwapar Yuga to make Vedic knowledge available in writing.
It is believed that Vedas were a single vast knowledge inaccessible to simple humankind, and later Vyasa divided it into three parts, making it simpler. The fourth, known as Atharva Veda, was recognized by the Veda only much later. He has even taught Lord Dattatreya, who is known to be the Guru of Gurus and a manifestation of the Trinity – Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
The lineage of Veda Vyasa
Veda Vyasa is the one who divided the Vedas into parts in his respective period. This was an achievement that allowed people to understand divine knowledge of the Vedas. The need for segregating Vedas into parts is a must so that it can meet the limited perseverance and application of mortal beings. Vedas are the spiritual guide for humans; if they can not be acquired by people of lesser-scholar yugas, the knowledge inside them will stay hidden.
In an actual sense, Veda Vyasa is not just a singular figure or a person. As intellectuality deteriorates, from generation to generation, someone will be born as Veda Vyasa. Swami Vivekananda considers the Veda Vyas as the title rather than a singular figure.
Attribution to Ancient Texts
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita, recorded by Vyasa, is part of the Mahabharata, but due to its uniqueness and deep philosophical meaning, it is considered a separate Vedic work. Sri Krishna told Arjuna the Gita, but Dhritarashtra’s advisor Sanjaya also heard and recounted their entire conversation with the help of mystic power.
This mystical power was bestowed on him by Vyasa. Because of Maharishi Vyasa, the world recognized Krishna as he mentioned Lord Krishna in his Mahabharata as an immortal preacher.
Srimad Bhagavatam
The heir of the Kuru dynasty, the grandson of Arjuna, Maharaja Parikshit, was cursed to death by a brahmana. And during the remaining seven days, he listened to Srimad Bhagavatam from the mouth of the 16-year-old son of Vyasa – Sukadeva Goswami. Sukadev learned about the essence of the Bhagavatam from his father, Vyasa.
The Brahma Sutra
The Brahma Sutras or Vedanta Sutras, are believed to be contributions of joint efforts from Vyasa and Badarayana. The chronicle is divided into four chapters, each subdivided into four sections.
It is interesting to note that they begin and end with Sutras, which together inquire into the true nature of Brahman. Brahman has no return, pointing to the reality that one reaches Immortality and no longer returns to the world.
Puranas
Vyasa is also credited with writing the main eighteen Puraṇas, works of Sanskrit literature covering a wide range of subjects, myths, stories, legends, lives of saints, kings, and great men, allegories, and chronicles of great historical events.
Veda Vyasa in Mahabharat
Birth of Vyasa
Maharishi Parashara was blessed by Lord Shiva, who predicted that a child would be born as the greatest man of all time as part of Lord Vishnu himself at a certain time in history.
On that eventful day, Parashara wanted to cross a river, Yamuna. He spoke with the ferryman about the approach of that auspicious time. The boatman had adopted a daughter named Satyavati. The boatman was impressed with the sanctity and greatness of Parashara and offered his daughter Satyavati in marriage.
Enchanted by the beauty of Satyavati, Parashara made love with him, which immediately resulted in the birth of the child. Parashara took the child and restored the purity of Satyavati, who later married King Shantanu.
Vyasa’s father Parashara named him Krishna because Vyasa was of dark complexion in addition to the name Dvaipayana, which means born on an island. According to Vishnu Purana, Vyasa born on the island of Yamuna in Kalpi already knew the Vedas, Dharmashastras, and Upanishads since birth.
Enlightenment from the early age
Vyasa’s first permission from his mother was something that every mother would have restricted. He asked to go to the forest and practice Akhanda Tapasya, or continuous penance. At first, his mother disagreed but later approved one important condition: he appears before her whenever she wished. He studied the Shastras or scriptures with the sages Sanaka, Sanandana, and others. Vyasa also received his knowledge from the four Kumaras, Narada, and Lord Brahma himself.
Birth of Pandu and Dhritarashtra
Shantanu and Satyavati had two sons, Chitrāngada and Vichitravirya, but both of them passed away without having children. Vichitravirya was married to Ambika and Ambalika, and after his death, Satyavati asked her stepson Bhishma to marry the widows, but he declined due to his vow of celibacy.
In order to produce an heir, Satyavati revealed her secret past and asked Bhishma to bring her firstborn, Sage Vyasa, to impregnate the queens under the Niyoga tradition. By that time, Vyasa had compiled the Vedas.
Vyasa was unkempt after months of meditating in the forest, which frightened Ambika and caused her to shut her eyes during their meeting. This resulted in the birth of their son, Dhritarashtra, who was blind. When Ambalika met Vyasa, she turned pale, which led to the birth of her son, Pandu, who was born pale.
Vyasa, Kauravas and Pandavas
When the sons of Vichitravirya grew up, Bhishma arranged their marriages. Dhritarashtra was married to Gandhari, the princess of Gandhara, and Pandu married Kunti and Madri. Pandu eventually left the kingdom, leaving Dhritarashtra as the acting king.
Since Gandhari was blessed with more than 100 children, after two long years of pregnancy, Gandhari gave birth to a hard mass that appeared to be an iron ball. Vyasa when knew this came to the kingdom. Using his knowledge, divided the mass into one hundred and one pieces and placed them into pots for incubation. A year later, 101 Kauravas were born. On the Pandu side, Kunti and Madri gave born to five Pandavas.
Reciting Chronicles of Mahabharat
Vyasa is known as the chronicler of the epic Mahabharata and also plays an important role in it. In the first book, Vyasa asks Ganesha to help him write a text that imposes a precondition that Ganesha will only do so if Vyasa tells the story without pause.
To write such an epic chronic, Vyasa requested Lord Ganesha to first understand the verses. Vyasa’s narration and Lord Ganesha’s writing provided mankind with the Mahabharata (including the Gita), all the Upanishads, and the 18 Puranas.
Some people also believe Veda Vasya to be an expansion or avatar of Lord Vishnu, who was born on Dwapar Yug to change the oral tradition of reciting Vedas to written form.
Contribution of Veda Vyasa
Vyasas edited and divided the Vedas into a simpler form and wrote the Brahma Sutras for a quick and simple understanding of the Shrutis.
He wrote the Mahabharata to enable ordinary people to understand higher knowledge in the simplest way.
Vyasa’s 18 Puranas formed the teaching system through Upakhyanas or discourses, which established the two paths of Karma, Upasana (devotion) and Jnana (knowledge).
At the instigation of the divine sage Narada Muni, Vyasa wrote the Bhagavatam.
In Dwapar Yuga, Vyasa divided the Veda, which is, in fact, one, into many parts to adapt it to the abilities of the living beings and the bodily form that he takes to carry out this classification.
Disciples of Veda Vyasa
Vyasa’s son Shuka
According to Skanda Purana, Vyasa married a woman named Vatikā, who was the daughter of a sage named Jābāli. This union produced his son Shuka, who was named after repeating everything he heard, like a parrot.
Some texts like Devi Bhagavata Purana describe Shuka’s birth differently, where an apsara named Ghritachi appeared in front of Vyasa as a beautiful parrot and caused him sexual arousal, leading to the birth of Shuka.
Veda Spreaders
Vyasa had four disciples – Paila, Jaimini, Vaishampayana, and Sumantu – and each was given the responsibility of spreading one of the four Vedas. Paila was in charge of Rigveda, Jaimini of Samaveda, Vaishampayana of Yajurveda, and Sumantu of Atharvaveda.
Adi Shankara
In Sankara Digvijaya, Vyasa confronts Adi Shankara, who has written a commentary on the Brahma-Sutras and asks for an explanation of the first Sutra, which leads to a debate that lasts for eight days. Shankara, who was supposed to die at the end of his sixteenth year, expresses his desire to leave his body in the presence of Vyasa, but Rishi Vyas dissuades him and blesses him to live for another sixteen years to complete his work.
The Eternal Influence of Vyasa
Maharishi Veda Vyasa is considered one of the eight immortals who remained on earth to help and guide their followers. It is said that he gives his Darsana to the true and faithful only and that Adi Shankaracharya had his darshan like many others. Maharshi Vyasa’s work and life story inspire us and the entire world to this day in countless ways.
The festival of Guru Purnima (Vyasa Purnima) is dedicated to Maharshi Veda for his influence as a humankind influencer and spiritual teacher. The Hindu tradition evolved and people began to thank or worship their respective teachers.
Ashram of Maharishi Ved Vyas
Location:
This holy place is situated at a distance of 1.6 Km from Shri Vashistha Ashram in District Sirohi, Rajasthan.
History:
It is the place where Lord Ved Vyas had expounded the Vedas and had written the Puranas. This fact has been mentioned in Mahabharata, Mahapurana etc.
Maharshi Ved Vyas, a fisherman by profession, who composed the Mahabharata, is considered an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Maharishi Ved Vyas, who is credited to have compiled/edited all the four Vedas in present format and who is believed to be author of Mahabharata, Shrimad Bhagwat Gita and all the Purans has himself laid down (Mahabharata: 1-V-4): that `whenever there is conflict between what is declared in the Vedas and provisions in any of the Smritis, Puranas, etc., what is declared in the Vedas shall prevail.” Vyasa (literally “Compiler”) is a central and revered figure in most Hindu traditions. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyāsa (“the one who classified the Vedas”), or Krishna Dvaipāyana (referring to his complexion and birthplace). Maharishi Vyasa is also considered to be one of the seven Chiranjivins (long lived, or immortals), who are still in existence according to Hindu belief. According to the Vishnu Purana, “Veda Vyasa” is a title applied to the compilers of the Vedas who are avatars of Lord Vishnu.
Maharishi Veda Vyasa
The ‘Mahabharata’ remains a marvel in the literature of the world. Veda Vyasa was the sage who gave the world this Storehouse of realism, wisdom and compassion. And he was the guide to whom seven generations of the high and the humble looked up in hours of sorrow and darkness.
Maharishi Veda Vyasa was the son of Maharshi Parashar
Maharishi Veda Vyasa composed Puranas and Upa-puranas to expound the Vedic teachings for the benefit of the lay people. The puranas are the most extensively read scriptures in India. The word purana means “portrayal of ancient times;.There are eighteen major (maha) and eighteen subsidiary (upa) puranas At the end of it all, Vyasa wrote the Harivamsha, the history of Krishna as Lord. God.
Veda Vyasa is considered immortal, a chiranjivi. He will live, no doubt, immortally through the Vedas, the Brahmasutras and the Gita. He would be guiding the coming generations, as he guided the gone by.
He codified the Veda, the compilation of which was initiated by Maharshi Angiras two millennia back
Maharishi Veda Vyasa
In ancient days, our forefathers, the Rishis of Aryavartha, went to the forest to do Tapasya during the four months following Vyasa Purnima—a particular and important day in the Hindu calendar. On this memorable day, Maharishi Veda Vyasa, an incarnation of the Lord Himself, began to write his Brahma Sutras. Our ancient Rishis did this Tapasya in caves and forests. But times have changed and such facilities are not common nowadays although Grihasthas and Rajas are not wanting who are able and willing to place at the disposal of the members of the fourth Ashrama such help and facilities as they can afford. The forests and caves have given place to the rooms of Sadhus in their own Gurudwaras and Mutts. One has of necessity to suit himself to time and place; and change of place and situation should not be allowed to make such a difference in our mental attitudes. Chaturmas begins from the Vyasa Purnima Day when, according to our Shastra, we are expected to worship Vyasa and the Brahmavidya Gurus and begin the study of the Brahma Sutras and other ancient books on ‘wisdom’.
Our mythology speaks of many Vyasas; and it is said that there had been twenty-eight Vyasas before the present Vyasa—Krishna Dvaipayana—took his birth at the end of Dvapara Yuga. Krishna Dvaipayana was born of Parasara Rishi through the Matsya Kanya—Satyavathi Devi—under some peculiar and wonderful circumstances. Parasara was a great Jnani and one of the supreme authorities on astrology and his book Parasara Hora is still a textbook on astrology. He has also written a Smriti known as Parasara Smriti which is held in such high esteem that it is quoted by our present-day writers on sociology and ethics. Parasara came to know that a child, conceived at a particular Ghatika or moment of time, would be born as the greatest man of the age, nay, as an Amsa of Lord Vishnu Himself. On that day, Parasara was travelling in a boat and he spoke to the boatman about the nearing of that auspicious time. The boatman had a daughter who was of age and awaiting marriage. He was impressed with the sanctity and greatness of the Rishi and offered his daughter in marriage to Parasara. Our Vyasa was born of this union and his birth is said to be due to the blessing of Lord Siva Himself who blessed the union of a sage with a Jnani of the highest order, although of a low caste.
At a very tender age Vyasa gave out to his parents the secret of his life that he should go to the forest and do Akhanda Tapas. His mother at first did not agree, but later gave permission on one important condition that he should appear before her whenever she wished for his presence. This it shows how far-sighted the parents and the son were. Puranas say that Vyasa took initiation at the hands of his twenty-first Guru, sage Vasudeva. He studied the Shasta’s under sages Sanaka and Sanandana and others. He arranged the Vedas for the good of mankind and wrote the Brahma Sutras for the quick and easy understanding of the Srutis; he also wrote the Mahabharata to enable women, Sudras and other people of lesser intellect to understand the highest knowledge in the easiest way. Vyasa wrote the eighteen Puranas and established the system of teaching them through Upakhyanas or discourses. In this way, he established the three paths, Karma, Upasana and Jnana. To him is also attributed the fact that he continued the line of his mother and that Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura were his progeny. Vyasa’s last work was the Bhagavata which he undertook at the instigation of Devarshi Narada who once came to him and advised him to write it as, without it, his goal in life would not be reached.
Maharishi Veda Vyasa – Compiier of the VedasVyasa is considered by all Hindus as a Chiranjivi, one who is still living and roaming throughout the world for the well-being of his devotees. It is said that he appears to the true and the faithful and that Jagadguru Sankaracharya had his Darshan in the house of sage Mandana Misra and that he appeared too many others as well. Thus, in short, Vyasa lives for the welfare of the world. Let us pray for his blessings on us all and on the whole world.
Everybody knows that there are six important systems of thought developed by our ancients known as the Shad Darshanas or the six orthodox schools of philosophy, Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Purva Mimamsa and Uttara Mimamsa or Vedanta. Each system has a different shade of opinion. Later, these thoughts became unwieldy, and to regulate them, the Sutras came into existence. Treatises were written in short aphorisms, called “Sutras” in Sanskrit, meaning clues for memory or aids to long discussions on every topic. In the Padma Purana, the definition of a Sutra is given. It says that a Sutra should be concise and unambiguous; but the brevity was carried to such an extent that the Sutra has become unintelligible and particularly so in the Brahma Sutras. Today we find the same Sutra being interpreted in a dozen ways. The Brahma Sutras written by Vyasa or Badarayana—for that was the name which he possessed in addition—are also known as Vedanta Sutras as they deal with Vedanta only. They are divided into four chapters, each chapter being subdivided again into four sections. It is interesting to note that they begin and end with Sutras which read together mean “the inquiry into the real nature of Brahman has no return”, meaning that “going by that way one reaches Immortality and no more returns to the world”. About the authorship of these Sutras, tradition attributes it to Vyasa. Sankaracharya, in his Bhashya, refers to Vyasa as the author of the Gita and the Mahabharata, and to Badarayana as the author of the Brahma Sutras. His followers—Vachaspathi, Anandagiri and others—identify the two as one and the same person, while Ramanuja and others attribute the authorship of all three to Vyasa himself. The oldest commentary on the Brahma Sutras is by Sankaracharya; he was later followed by Ramanuja, Vallabha, Nimbarka, Madhva and others who established their own schools of thought. All the five Acharyas mostly agree on two points,
That Brahman is the cause of this world and
That knowledge of Brahman leads to final emancipation.
But they differ amongst themselves on the nature of this Brahman, the relation between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul, and the condition of the soul in the state of release. According to some, Bhakti and not Jnana, as interpreted by Sankara, is the chief means of attaining liberation.
Vyasa’s life is a unique example of one born for the dissemination of spiritual knowledge. His writings inspire us and the whole world even to this day. May we all live in the spirit of his writings!
Major Work of Veda Vyasa
Mahabharata: There is a cameo of Ved Vyasa himself in Mahabharata. He is considered as a part-incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is said that he came to the earth in Dwaparyuga to put all the Vedic knowledge in this universe in the form of written words and make it available to everyone. Before Ved Vyasa the Vedic knowledge only existed in the form of spoken words. He was the grandfather to Pandavas and Kauravas. He is called Ved Vyasa because he had split the original version of Vedas into four parts; Ved Vyasa literally means ‘the splitter of Vedas’. It was because Ved Vyasa had split the Vedas that it became easy for people to understand it. This is how the divine knowledge was made available to everyone. It is still not clearly known whether Ved Vyasa had split the Vedas all by himself or if he did with the help of a group of scholars.
In Mahabharata, Vyasa’s mother marries the king of Hasthinapur and gives birth to two sons. Both the sons die and their wives are left with no children. She asks him to impregnate both the wives. Vyasa agrees to impregnate Amba and Ambika. He tells these girls to come in close proximity to him but alone. It was Ambika’s turn first to go close to him and out to shyness she closes her eyes. Vyasa declares that the baby would be born blind––this child was called Dhritarashtra. Then it was Amba’s turn. Although she was instructed by Ambalika to relax and calm herself down. But she was very nervous and her face becomes pale out of fear. Vyasa declares that the baby born out of this will be severely anemic and will certainly not be capable of running a kingdom––this was Pandu. This leads to the third attempt to make a healthy child but Amba and Ambika were so scared now that they sent a servant girl instead. This maid was confident and she gets impregnated with a healthy child––this was Vidura. He also had another son called Suka from sage Jabali’s daughter called Pinjala. It is said that Ved Vyasa asked Lord Ganesha himself to help him in compilation of Mahabharata. But Ganesha had put one condition on him; he said that he will write Mahabharata for him if only he will narrate it to him without a single pause. To supersede this condition, Vyasa put another condition on him asking him to understand the verses even before he has recited them. This is how Mahabharata was written, Ved Vyasa narrated all the Upanishads and 18 Puranas continuously to Lord Ganesha.
Buddhism: There is also mention of Ved Vyasa in Buddhism. In the two of their Jataka tales called Kanha-dipayana and Ghata. He appeared as a Bodhisattva in Kanha-dipayana, which has no connection with his Hindu Vedic works and in Ghata Jakata his role has a close relation to Mahabharata. In Ghata, the Vrishnis plays a joke on Ved Vyasa to put his clairvoyance powers to test. They dress up a boy as a woman by tying a pillow to his belly. Then they took him to Vyasa and asked him if he could tell them when the baby is due. He tells then that the person in front of him will give birth to a knot of acaria wood and will destroy Vasudevas’s race. They kill him in the end but his divination came true.
Veda Vyasa: Compiler of the VedasVyasa Maharishi is a household name and a central figure in Indian tradition. He is considered the author of the ancient epic, the Mahabharat – the longest poem ever written. But he also plays a very important role in it.
Veda Vyasa is a household name and a central figure in Indian tradition. He is the author of the ancient epic, the Mahabharat – the longest poem ever written. But he also plays a very important role in it. It is through him that the clan of the Kurus perpetuates. Vyasa’s father Parashara was also his Guru, and Veda Vyasa became his disciple at the young age of six. This is a story about this incredible being.
Sadhguru: Many thousands of years ago, there was a great sage whose name was Parashara. He was known as Parashara Maharishi, a man of immense knowledge and a realized being. In his time, a situation had come about in society where kings were drunk with power and they no longer respected the dharma of the priestly class. And in many ways, the Brahmins had also fallen on corrupt and bad times, and had lost the reverence and respect they once commanded. Because of this conflict, there was a lot of discord in society.
Parashara took up the movement to bring some coordination between Brahmatej, the dharma of the priestly class, and Kshatratej, the dharma of the ruling class. He travelled across the country establishing hundreds of ashrams and trying to make contact with the kings of the time so that he could bring some kind of organization between the different sections of society. Because he had taken up this immense task, he was hugely respected and looked up to. At the same time, he naturally made enemies of those who opposed his movement.
Parashara took up the movement to bring some coordination between Brahmatej and Kshatratej.
Once, Parashara’s ashram was attacked and he was injured to a point where his leg was very badly hurt. He managed to escape somehow, and with great effort got into a boat and made his way to a small island where some fisherfolk lived. Seeing his condition, the fisherfolk took him in. He was placed under the care of Matsyagandhi, the daughter of the tribe’s chief. Matsyagandhi means “she who smells like a fish.”
Matsyagandhi, who was just a young woman at the time, tended to Parashara’s health. She was naturally drawn to him because he was such a towering personality of immense knowledge and wisdom. Parashara stayed with the fisherfolk for over a year while he recovered from his serious injury. Even after recovering from his wound, he was never able to walk straight again.
The Birth of Vyasa
A certain relationship developed between Parashara and Matsyagandhi, and a child was born to her. But by then, Parashara was well enough and he left the village to continue his work. The child who was born was named Krishna Dvaipayana. Krishna was a common name even then. The word “Krishna” literally means “the puller” or “the one who attracts.” “Dvaipayana” means “the island born.” He was named thus because he was born on an island in the river Yamuna. This child would grow up to become the great sage Vyasa – the author of the Mahabharat.
As Krishna Dvaipayana grew up, right from the time he could speak and understand, he would ask his mother, “Who is my father?” His mother told him fantastic stories about Parashara and about what a great man he was. In her simple way, she tried to ensure that the child was influenced by the father’s wisdom and knowledge, and not just by the fisherman community that lived there.
The child grew up with a tremendous awe towards the father he had never seen. All the time, Dvaipayana asked his mother, “Why is father not with us?” The mother would tell the child of the great things his father was doing and that he had to travel because he was sought after everywhere in the country to spread his knowledge and wisdom. Then the boy would ask, “If he cannot be with us, why can’t we go with him?” The mother would reply, “He cannot take us with him because he is in many different types of situations and he is constantly traveling.”
Having heard so many stories of what a wonderful man his father was, Krishna Dvaipayana grew up with a great urge to travel with his father. His only goal was to go with his father.
Saint Ved Vyas was one of the greatest Saints of Vedic times. He was the author of Mahabharata and witnessed incidents that changed the world. He had immense knowledge about religious texts, vedas and mantras. It was only possible through his knowledge that Mahabharata could be written. It is believed that Saint Ved Vyas was born on the day of Ashaadh Purnima. Saint Ved Vyas was the one who established Vedant Darshan and Advaitvad. He was born as a son to Saint Parashar. His wife was named Aruni, who gave birth to his son, Shukdev. The day of Guru Purnima is also celebrated as Ved Vyas jayanti.
Ved Vyas was born as Vishnu Vyas in Dwapar Yug and wrote many different parts of the Vedas. It is believed that during the first Dwapar Yug, Brahma was Ved Vyas followed by Prajapati, Shukracharya, Brahaspati, Indra, Dhananjaya, Surya, Mrityu, Ashwathama etc. It is believed that in all there were 28 Devas and others who were Ved Vyas. Ved Vyas also wrote eighteen Puranas.
Ved Vyas Birth Story
Many different stories have been mentioned in ancient texts about Ved Vyas. Some even believe him to be a manifestation of Lord Vishnu. According to his birth story, he was born as a son to Saint Parashar and Satyawati. Satyawati used to row boats and smelled of fish. Hence, she was also known as Matsyagandha. Once, Saint Parashar used her boat to travel through river Yamuna. He was mesmerized by her beauty and asked her to marry him.
Satyawati replied by saying that Saint Parashar was Lord Brahma’s son and she was just a simple human and hence, the engagement would not work. Saint Parashar asked her not worry and Satyawati finally accepted his proposal. Saint Parashar, with his power, created mist and fog. He blessed Satyawati that the bad smell of fish from her body would turn into sweet fragrance.
A boy was born to Satyawati on an island near the bank of the river. The small child turned into a young boy instantly and told Satyawati that he would appear in front of Satyawati whenever she would remember him. He left the islad and went away to offer his austerities. Vyas ji had a pale complexion due to which he was known to be a manifestation of Lord Krishna. He was born on an island in the Yamuna river and hence, he was also known as Dvaipayan. He was known as Ved Vyas since he wrote various texts for the Vedas.
Author of the Mahabharata
Ved Vyas was the author of the Mahabharata. He was not only the author but also a witness of the Mahabharata. It was due to him that the people of India could acquire a text like the Mahabharata. Vyas ji used to know about every incident during Mahabharata while being in his asylum in Hastinapur. Satyawati used to discuss everything with him and he used to give his opinions. Satyawati gave birth to two sons on marrying Shantanu. The elder one died during the battle of Chitrangad and the other one, Vichitravirya, died without a son.
Satyawati asked Vyas ji to help. Vyas ji lived a life of a sanyasi but he along with Vichitravirya’s wives had two sons. Dhritarashtra and Pandu. The third one was born to a maid and was known as Vidur. Ved Vyas ji gave special powers to Sanjay due to which he could tell Dhritarashtra about all the incidents during the Mahabharata.
Scholar of Vedas
Saint Vyas was a great scholar and had immense knowledge. He was known as Ved Vyas since he was the one who added many more things to the Vedas. Ved Vyas explained the four Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurvaveda, Atharvaveda and Samveda) to his disciples, Pail, Jaimin, Vaishampayan and Sumantmuni. He wrote the Puranas as a fifth Veda in which he explained everything in easy language with the help of stories and incidents.
The disciples of Ved Vyas categorized the Vedas into different parts. Ved Vyas is considered to be one of the twenty four manifestations of God. It is believed that God himself incarnated as Ved Vyas and created Puranas, Mahabharata and Brahmasutra. There is another text known as Vyas Smriti which was written by him. Vyas ji holds a very important place in Hindu tradition and mythology.
Maharishi Veda Vyasa was the son of Maharshi Parashar
Maharishi Veda Vyasa composed Puranas and Upa-puranas to expound the Vedic teachings for the benefit of the lay people. The puranas are the most extensively read scriptures in India. The word purana means “portrayal of ancient times;.There are eighteen major (maha) and eighteen subsidiary (upa) puranas
At the end of it all, Vyasa wrote the Harivamsha, the history of Krishna as Lord. God.
Veda Vyasa is considered immortal, a chiranjivi. He will live, no doubt, immortally through the Vedas, the Brahmasutras and the Gita. He would be guiding the coming generations, as he guided the gone by.
He codified the Veda, the compilation of which was initiated by Maharshi Angiras two millennia back, into four divisions ( 1131 Sakhas or Recensions divided into Rik (21 sakhas), Yajur(101 sakhas), Sama (1000 sakhas) and Atharva Veda (9 sakhas). For further re-organization and editing he entrusted the Books to his trusted disciples:
Rig Veda-Paila,Yajur Veda-Vaisampayana ,Sama Veda – Jaimini ,Atharva Veda – Sumantu
Maharshi Veda Vyasa
The Life and Works of the Greatest of Hindu Sages
Vyasa is perhaps the greatest sage in the history of Hindu religion. He edited the four Vedas, wrote the 18 Puranas, the epic Mahabharata, and the Srimad Bhagavatam and even taught Dattatreya, who is regarded as the ‘Guru of Gurus.’
Vyasa’s Luminary Lineage
Hindu mythology mentions as many as 28 Vyasas before Maharshi Veda Vyasa was born at the end of Dvapara Yuga. Also known as Krishna Dvaipayana, Vyasa was born of Sage Parashara and mother Satyavati Devi under wonderful circumstances. Parashara was one of the supreme authorities on astrology and his book Parashara Hora is a textbook on astrology even in the modern age. He has also written a scripture known as Parashara Smriti which is held in such high esteem that it is quoted even by modern scholars on sociology and ethics.
How Vyasa was Born
Vyasa’s father, Parashara came to know that a child, conceived at a particular moment of time, would be born as the greatest man of the age as a part of Lord Vishnu himself. On that eventful day, Parashara was traveling in a boat and he spoke to the boatman about the nearing of that auspicious time. The boatman had a daughter who was awaiting marriage. He was impressed with the sanctity and greatness of the sage and offered his daughter in marriage to Parashara. Vyasa was born of this union and his birth is said to be due to the wish of Lord Shiva, who blessed the birth the sage of the highest order.
The Life and Works of Vyasa
At a very tender age, Vyasa revealed to his parents the purpose of his life — that he should go to the forest and practice ‘Akhanda Tapas’ or continuous penance. At first, his mother did not agree but later approved on one important condition that he should appear before her whenever she wished for his presence. According to the Puranas, Vyasa took initiation from his guru sage Vasudeva. He studied the Shastras or scriptures under the sages Sanaka and Sanandana and others. He arranged the Vedas for the good of mankind and wrote the Brahma Sutras for the quick and easy understanding of the Shrutis; he also wrote the Mahabharata to enable common people to understand the highest knowledge in the easiest way. Vyasa wrote the 18 Puranas and established the system of teaching them through ‘Upakhyanas’ or discourses. In this way, he established the three paths of Karma, Upasana (devotion) and Jnana (knowledge). Vyasa’s last work was the Bhagavatam which he undertook at the instigation of Devarshi Narada, the celestial sage, who once came to him and advised him to write it, without which, his goal in life would not be reached.
The Significance of Vyasa Purnima
In ancient times, our forefathers in India, went to the forest to meditate during the four months or ‘Chaturmasa’ following Vyasa Purnima—a particular and important day in the Hindu calendar. On this auspicious day, Vyasa began to write his Brahma Sutras. This day is also known as Guru Purnima when, according to the scriptures, Hindus should worship Vyasa and the Brahmavidya Gurus and begin the study of the Brahma Sutras and other ancient books on ‘wisdom’.
Vyasa, Author of the Brahma Sutras
The Brahma Sutras, also known as the Vedanta Sutras is believed to have been written by Vyasa along with Badarayana. They are divided into four chapters, each chapter being subdivided again into four sections. It is interesting to note that they begin and end with Sutras which read together mean “the inquiry into the real nature of Brahman has no return”, pointing to “the way one reaches Immortality and no more returns to the world.” About the authorship of these Sutras, tradition attributes it to Vyasa. Sankaracharya refers to Vyasa as the author of the Gita and the Mahabharata, and to Badarayana as the author of the Brahma Sutras. His followers—Vachaspathi, Anandagiri, and others—identify the two as one and the same person, while Ramanuja and others attribute the authorship of all three to Vyasa himself.
The Everlasting Influence of Vyasa
Vyasa is considered by Hindus as Chiranjivi or immortal, one who is still living and walking the earth for the well-being of his devotees. It is said that he appears to the true and the faithful and that Adi Sankaracharya had his darshan as did many others as well. Vyasa’s life is a unique example of one born for the dissemination of spiritual knowledge. His writings inspire us and the whole world even to this day in innumerable ways.