Veda Vyasa and the Mahabharata
Krishna Dwaipayana, or Veda Vyasa, not only wrote the Mahabharata but also played a key role in it.
Veda Vyasa was the biological father of the brothers whose children fought against each other in the Great War. Later Vyasa dictated the epic to Ganesh.
Krishna Dwaipayana, or Veda Vyasa as he was better known as, not only wrote the epic Mahabharata but also played a key role in it. He was the biological father of the brothers whose children fought against each other in the Great War.
In due course, after giving birth to Veda Vyasa, Satyavati married King Shantanu of Hastinapura. They had two children, Chitrangada and Vichitraveerya. Chitrangada died in battle while Shantanu was still alive, and Vichitraveerya was crowned king after Shantanu’s death. Vichitraveerya married Ambika and Ambalika, the princesses of Kashi. But unfortunately he died of tuberculosis without leaving behind any issues. The royal race had to be propagated. Satyavati called Veda Vyasa, who produced a son each through Ambika and Ambalika. Ambika gave birth to Dhritarashtra and Ambalika to Pandu. But after the death of Pandu, the animosity between his children and those of Dhritarashtra escalated. Vyasa came to Hastinapura and told Satyavati that she will not be able to bear what is to follow. He took Satyavati, Ambika and Ambalika to his hermitage in the forests, where they spent their last days. The animosity between the children of Pandu and Dhritarashtra resulted in the Mahabharata war.
Veda Vyasa chronicled the Mahabharata war and the events leading to it in the epic known as the Mahabharata. This is the longest epic in the world, longer than the Odyssey and Iliad put together. The Mahabharata is the narrative that contains all narratives. A verse from the epic reads, "What is found here, may be found elsewhere. What is not found here, will not be found elsewhere."
There is a very interesting event associated with the writing of the Mahabharata. Vyasa needed to concentrate on the composing so needed someone to write it down as he recited the verses. Ganesh, the elephant headed deity, agreed to do so but put a condition that the recitation speed should be such that there is no break in the writing. Vyasa agreed but put forward his own condition. Ganesh must understand everything before he wrote it down. Whenever Vyasa needed time to compose the next verses he would first recite some complex verses. Ganesh would take time to figure out what they meant. This gave Vyasa the time he needed. At one point Ganesh’s quill broke while he was writing. He then broke one of his tusks and continued writing. This is the reason that Ganesh is always depicted with one tusk.
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