In today’s mini-episode, we’ll meet the author of the Mahabharat!
Just like the Ramayana, we’ll see that the author of the Mahabharat has also worked himself into the narrative. The author had engaged a god Ganesh to transcribe the Mahabharat for him!
The character is Vyas. Also called Maharishi Vyas or Ved Vyas. Vyas is one of the Chiranjeevs or immortals which includes Hanuman whom we have met before in Episode 25 Up Up and Away.
Do you remember the rishi Vashishta from Episode 15 Rishi vs Rishi un-civil war? The great-grandson of Vashishta was Vyas. Vyas was also the son of the rishi Parashara. Parashara made friends with Satyavati, the daughter of a boatman, after which Satyavati had Vyas.
Parashara had prayed to Shiva the destroyer to please make his son at least as smart and knowledgeable as Grandpa Vashishta. And Shiva obliged!
Vyasa became smart and knowledgeable as his Dad had requested. Amongst the many people who helped Vyas, you can include…… me! Yes, given my complete and utter knowledge of everything in the universe I was able to help Vyas. Of course, my brothers and my Dad, Brahma the creator chipped in as well.
When Vyas needed to write down the Mahabharat, he decided he needed help. It was an epic! Given the incredible length of the epic, he had to enlist divine help. He asked the Elephant headed God Ganesh whom we have met in a couple of previous episodes.
Ganesh was happy to help! Except he had a little condition. Vyas would have to narrate the story without pausing. Ganesh’s had such a high words per minute speed, that any pauses might simply slow him down. Vyas readily agreed. Even though the size of the Mahabharat meant that he would likely not be able to pause the narration for several years!
He imposed a condition of his own, however. Ganesh must fully understand every bit that he would be writing down.
“No problem!” said Ganesh and the two began immediately.
They matched each other speed for speed. Vyas chattering off verses, and Ganesh transcribing them with his quill.
Midway through, the quill broke! While ordinarily the scribe would have called timeout and put a halt to the proceedings, Ganesh did not do so. He broke off his own tusk, dipped it in ink and continued writing.
This is the alternative explanation for Ganesha’s broken tusk. I’d provided the other version in Mini Episode 34.5, so check that one out if you’re interested.
That’s all for this mini-episode.
Next Time
In this weekend’s full episode we’ll do a couple of stories of my dad, Brahma the creator because I’ve had a listener specifically request these