Veda Vyasa or “splitter of the Vedas”, the splitting being a feat that allowed people to understand the divine knowledge of the Vedas, writes MEERA S. SASHITAL.
Amongst all the sages in the annals of our Hinduism, the name of sage Veda Vyasa stands out prominent. It seems Vyasa lived 3,800 years ago but excavations at Hastinapur show that he was born after the Vedic age about 950 BC. He was the son of the sage Parashara, the grandson of the great Vashishta.
He was one of the important historian, astronomer and philosopher of the Dwapara Yuga. Hindus traditionally hold that Vyasa categorised the primordeal single Veda into three canonical cantos and that the fourth one, known as Atharva, was recognised as Veda only 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 Vedas. The word ‘Vyasa’ means split, divide or differentiate.
Veda Vyasa was named as Dvaipayana as he was born on an island in the Yamuna near modern Kalpi in U.P. It seems when once sage Parashara, his father was crossing the Yamuna river in a boat. He took a fancy to the fisherman’s lovely daughter who was ferrying him across. To this girl, Satyavati, a son was born. He was dark complexioned like his mother so Vyasa was called Krishna too.
Vyasa inherited all the spiritual qualities of Vashishta and took to ascetic life. Vyasa is believed to be the earliest commentator on the Yoga Sutras. Though Badarayana, belonging to the fourth century is believed to be the originator of the Vedanta Sutras, the compilation of the Sutras or their arrangement is attributed to Vyasa. Krishna Dvaipayana or Vyasa collected the surviving Vedic Mantras, standardized the form and accent. Vyasa was the reputed author of the Mahabharata, the Puranas, Srimad Bhagvata and compiler of Vedas.
[alert type=”e.g. warning, danger, success, info” title=””]While Vyasa is credited with the writing of the eighteen major Puranas, his son Shuka is the narrator of the major Purana, the Bhagvat Purana. [/alert]
The Puranas which are eighteen in number are believed to have been written by Vyasa. His object was to convey to the laymen the teachings of the Vedas. Each Purana is supposed to treat five principal subjects known as its Lakshanas viz. 1) the creation of the Universe 2) Its destruction 3) Principal Gods and patriarch, 4) Manvantaras or the reigns of the Manus (the fourteen world teachers), 5) The history of the two great races viz. Solar and Lunar. The Puranas are metrical compositions with occasional passages in prose.
Sage Vyasa, the compiler of the Vedas, composed the saga of the Mahabharata. It is regarded by the Hindus as “the fifth Veda”. Vyasa is traditionally known as the author of this epic and likewise features as an important character in it. It is said that he was the expansion of Lord Vishnu Himself who came in Devprayaga to make all the Vedic knowledge available in written form which was available in spoken form at that time.
In the first book of the Mahabharata, it is described that Vyasa asked Lord Ganesh to aid him in writing the texts, but Ganesh imposed a condition that he would do so only if Vyasa narrated the story without the pause. To which Vyasa then made a counter condition that Ganesh must understand the verse before he transcribed it. Thus Vyasa narrated the entire Mahabharata and all the Upanishads and the eighteen Puranas while Lord Ganesh wrote.
While Vyasa is credited with the writing of the eighteen major Puranas, his son Shuka is the narrator of the major Purana, the Bhagvat Purana. Vyasa is supposed to have meditated and authored the Epic by the foothills of the river Beas in the Punjab region. Vyasa is credited for his commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali also.
Veda Vyasa’s Mahabharata was a masterpiece. He had witnessed during his lifetime the complete events and lives of the Pandavas and Kauravas. He moralised the story by showing the triumph of righteousness over wickedness. He saw the role of Lord Krishna as God incarnate and conveyed to mankind the gem of His message through the immortal Bhagvad Gita.
The Mahabharata written by Vyasa was elaborated by his pupil Vaishsmpayana who is said to have recited it at the snake-sacrifice of King Janmejaya in the presence of Vyasa himself. Vyasa it seems once said: “Wherever there is Sri Krishna there is Dharma.” Similarly Lord Krishna had said to Arjuna: “Among the sages Vyasa is Me.”
The Puranas aptly call Vyasa the Manu of this Age and India’s true architect and guide. Sage Vyasa being the embodiment of wisdom and knowledge all sought his advice. Vyasa had advised Bhimasena that if he kept a single day fast of Nirjalaekadasi (Waterless Eleventh) , he would gain as much merit as by observing all other fasts.
Sage Vyasa founded a vast forest University which came to be known as Brahmarshidesha. His ascetic and brilliant son Shuka with his four disciples, Srimantu, Jaimini, Paila and Vaishampayana, all great rishis themselves, assisted Vyasa in building up a great tradition of learning. Vyasa visited other sacred places in Brahmavarta to spread learning and increase his own spiritual knowledge. At Badrinath, near Kesava Prayag, the holy confluence of the Saraswati and the Alaknanda, is the cave where he sat for penance.
In 1952 Shri K.M. Munshi after paying tributes to Vyasa laid the foundation stone for a memorial in his honour at Kalpi. Munshi had said Sage Vyasa “Lit the Lamp of Knowledge” by his immortal works on Vedas and Epic. 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.
