ॐ Hindu Of Universe ॐ
“God’s light is within you, It never leaves you.”
Vyasa Avatar
Upon learning that the revered ascetic Krishna Dvaipayana was, in fact, the son of Rajamata Satyavati, Bheeshma saw reason in considering the option of Niyoga. He agreed to consult with Satyavati’s ascetic son, who appeared in their midst as if summoned by a mere thought.
Understanding his mother and Bheeshma’s request for help in securing heirs for the queens, Krishna Dvaipayana voiced his dilemma. He acknowledged the predicament, and the love for the kingdom, but also recognized the ethical boundaries. He expressed, “I cannot partake in this act of Adharma, as Ambika and Ambalika are akin to my daughters-in-law, as per our Bharatvarsha’s values.”
Yet, Rajamata remained steadfast. The weight of the situation weighed heavily on Krishna Dvaipayana, and he ultimately agreed. He took on the responsibility of performing Niyoga with the widowed queens, destined to father the future heirs of Hastinapura.
Satyavati made the necessary arrangements, sending Krishna Dvaipayana to the eldest queen, Ambika. Though hesitant, Ambika complied with the Rajamata’s command. However, Krishna Dvaipayana’s overwhelming presence made her close her eyes during the act, resulting in the child being born blind due to the potent yogic energy surrounding him.
Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother grew concerned, knowing that a blind ruler couldn’t lead the kingdom. She promptly requested her son to perform Niyoga with the second queen, Ambalika.
Vyasa, also known as Veda Vyasa, is the author of the great epic Mahabharata and the compiler of the Vedas. As an avatar of Brahma, Vyasa played a crucial role in preserving and disseminating the wisdom of the Vedas and other sacred texts. The Mahabharata, which narrates the story of the Kurukshetra War and the Bhagavad Gita is a guide to righteous living and spiritual growth. Vyasa’s contributions to Hinduism have made him one of the most revered figures in the nation.
Vyasa
Maharshi Vyasa was a sage according to Hindu mythology. He was the great-grandson of Vasishta, the grandson of Shakti, the father of Shukadev, the son of Parashar. He was a knowledge-seeking sage who compiled, edited, and finally coordinated the mythological epics Mahabharata, Vedanta philosophy, etc., recognizing the Vedas as the earliest manifestations of Hinduism. When Parashar Muni met Satyavati inside a ferry boat on the river Yamuna, Satyavati became pregnant. Vyasa was later born on an island (Dvip) in the Yamuna. So he was called Dvaipayana. As his skin color was black (Krishna), his full name became Krishna-Dvaipayana. He had a braid on his head. His eyes were bright and his face was brown. He became a master of austerities and divided the Vedas into four parts. This is why it is known as Veda Vyasa or Vyasa. Soon after his birth, he set out for austerities with the permission of his mother. His place of penance was Vadrikashram. For this reason he was also known as Vadrayana.
Ved Vyas is Sanatan Dharma’s first and greatest Acharya. He classified the four Vedas, wrote 18 Purans and articulated the Mahabharat which was penned down by Lord Ganesha.
Ved Vyas was the first and greatest Acharya of Sanatan Dharma and the author of the great epic Mahabharata. He is responsible for classifying the 4 Vedas, wrote 18 Puranas and recited the great Mahabharata. In fact, the Mahabharata is often called as the 5th Veda. The most important and the most glorified section is the “Bhagwad Gita”, the lesson recited to Arjuna by Lord Krishna on the battlefield. Apart from the Mahabharata, he also wrote the “Brahma Sutra”, one of his shortest theologies on Hindu philosophy. It is said that Ved Vyas is immortal and he never died. The life of Ved Vyas is an example to all in the modern times on how to be selfless and devote oneself entirely to Lord in order to attain Nirvana.
Personal Life of Ved Vyas
Ved Vyas is also known as ‘Krishna Dvaipayana’. Around some 5000 years ago, he was born on an island in the holy river Yamuna in Damauli of Tanahi district, which is presently in Nepal. His father was Rishi Parashar, a sage and his mother was Satyavati. He taught the Vedas to his pupils with ardent devotion and dedication. It is said that Mahabharata is the 18th Puran that was written by Ved Vyas. He fathered four famous sons, Pandu, Dhritarashtra, Vidur and Sukhdev. Ved Vyas received knowledge from great sages like Vasudeva and Sanakadik.
Major Works of Ved Vyas
Ved Vyasa is traditionally known as author of the Mahabharata in which he also played an important role. His mother later married the king of Hastinapura and had two sons. Both sons died without an issue and taking recourse to an ancient practice called Niyogaâ™ where a chosen man can father sons with the widow of a person who dies issueless. She requests Vyasa to produce sons on behalf of her dead son Vichitravirya. Vyasa fathers the prince Dhritarashtra by Ambika and Pandu by Ambalika, the wives of dead king. The sequence of events also leads to a 3rd son, Vidur by a serving maid to the queens. While these are legally not his sons, another son Shuka, born of a celestial nymph, is considered his true spiritual heir. He thus was the grandfather of both the warring parties of the Mahabharata, the Kauravas and the Pandavas. He serves as a spiritual guide to the young princes.
He asked Lord Ganesha to aid him in writing the Mahabharat. In the first book, it is stated that Ganesha imposed a condition that Vyasa narrate the story without pause and Vyasa made a counter-condition that Lord Ganesh understand the verse before he transcribed it.
In addition to the epic, he is also credited with the writing of the 18 major Puranas. His son Shuka Acharya is the narrator of the “Bhagavata Purana”. The Brahma-Sutra is attributed to ‘Badarayana’ which makes him the proponent of the crest-jewel school of Hindu philosophy, i.e.,˜Vedanta As the island on which Vyasa was born is said to have been covered by Badara (Indian jujube) trees, he is known as ‘Badarayana’.
Ved Vyas in 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 Jataka” 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 them that the person in front of him will give birth to a knot of Acacia wood and will destroy Vasudeva’s race. They killed him in the end but his divination came true.
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.
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.
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 him 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.
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.
Ashram of Maharishi Ved Vyas
Location of Ashram of Maharishi Ved Vyas, History of Maharishi Ved Vyas’s Ashram.
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.
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.
Ved Vyas
Ved VyasThe life history of Ved Vyas is an interesting one. The author of the great epic Mahabharata, Ved Vyas was the first and greatest acharya of Sanatan Dharma. He is responsible for classifying the four Vedas, wrote the 18 Puranas and recited the great Mahabharata. In fact, the Mahabharata is often called as the fifth Veda. The most important and the most glorified section is the Bhagwad Gita, the lesson recited to Arjuna by Lord Krishna on the battlefield. Apart from the Mahabharata, he also wrote the Brahmasootra, one of his shortest theologies on Hindu philosophy. It is said that Ved Vyas is immortal and he never died. Seeing the widespread violence in today’s times, he is said to have retreated into some remote village in Northern India. The life of Ved Vyas is an example to all in the modern times on how to be selfless and devote oneself entirely to Lord in order to attain Nirvana. To know more about Vyas, continue to read this insightful biography on him.
Personal Life
He is also known as Krishna Dvaipayana. Around some 5000 years ago, he was born in Damauli of Tanahi district, which is now in Nepal. The ancient cave that he wrote Mahabharata in still exists in Nepal. His father was Parashar Rishi, a sage and his mother was Satyavati. He taught the Vedas to his pupils with ardent devotion and dedication. It is said that Mahabharata is the 18th Puran that was written by Ved Vyas. He fathered four famous sons, Pandu, Dhritarashtra, Vidur and Sukhdev. Ved Vyas received knowledge from great sages like Vasudeva and Sanakadik. He described that the most important goal in one’s life is to attain Narayana or the Divine Supreme.
Major Work
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 Hastinapur 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 Vaasudeva’s race. They kill him in the end but his divination came true.
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.
STORY OF VED VYAS (THE AUTHOR OF MAHABHARATA)
STORY OF VED VYAS
Mahamuni Vyasa was the author of many Vedas and the great epic Mahabharata. The truth of whose life is also somewhat different. Through this article, we have thrown light on all the facts related to his birth. With the blessings of his mother and the tenacity of his father, he became a famous sage.
Ved Vyas’s mother’s name was Satyavati. Satyavati was the daughter of Apsara Adrika. Adrika became a fish due to the curse and lived in the river Yamuna. Once King Vasu of Chedi is hunting and kills a heron. He wanted to give this heron to his wife but it falls into the river Yamuna and is eaten by the same fish named Adrika. The king caught that fish and cut its stomach and saw that there were two children in its stomach, a boy and a girl. The king takes the boy with him and tells his subjects that he is the prince of Chedi. Raja Vasu gives that girl to a fisherman named Matsya Gandhi. He brings her up as his own daughter and names her Kali (as she is dark in complexion). With time Kali’s name becomes Satyavati. Satyavati’s father also used to drive a boat, Satyavati used to help her father in his work. Satyavati now grows up and her father starts searching for a suitable groom for her.
Once during the day, Satyavati meets sage Parashara, who asks her to drop her to another place on the Yamuna river. Satyavati’s father was busy in some other work, due to which Satyavati had to drive the boat and take Rishi Muni across the Yamuna. Sage Muni is fascinated by the form of Satyavati and insists on having a relationship before marriage but Satyavati refuses saying that she is a Brahmin and Satyavati is the daughter of a minor fisherman, by doing this the prestige of her family is destroyed. will be found in Rishi Muni does not listen to Satyavati, then Satyavati agrees to fear of curse of Rishi Muni but puts a condition in front of him, she tells him that no one should know about their relationship, they Never look at someone in a wrong way. And it also says that his son should be very famous and scholar in the world. His knowledge should be discussed far and wide.
Rishi Muni agrees to his words and the life of Ved Vyas begins. Rishi Muni and Satyavati have a son. Rishi Muni then leaves and promises that he will never meet Satyavati again. Satyavati’s son grows up immediately with the penance and blessings of sage Muni and becomes a stout young man. He promises his mother Satyavati that whenever she calls him he will immediately come to her and fulfill her wish. At that time he is named Krishna. After this they go to the forest and get engrossed in penance. Later his name was Ved Vyas. Vyasa was the author of many Vedas and the great epic Mahabharata. Because of Satyavati, he also plays the role of a character in the Mahabharata somewhere or the other. After this, Satyavati gets married to Shantanu, the king of Hastinapur. Due to which they have 2 sons Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. Dhritarashtra and the Pandavas were sons of Vichitravirya and grandsons of Satyavati.