Publisher's Synopsis
Sage Vyasa was the expansion of the God Vishnu, who came in Dwaparayuga to make all the Vedic knowledge from oral tradition available in written form. Sage Parashara was the author of the first Purana, Vishnu Purana.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. Satyavati, adopted daughter of the fisherman Dusharaj. She conceived and immediately gave birth to Vyasa. She kept this incident a secret, not telling even King Shantanu whom she was married to later.The eighth son of the Kuru King Shantanu and the river goddess Ganga was Devavrata known as Bhishma. Ganga took him to different realms, where he was brought up and trained by many eminent sages.Having joined his father's court, Bhishma was easily confirmed as the heir apparent. Shantanu was proud of his son and content that the future was secure. However, the king had slowly been falling in love with a fisherwoman, Satyavati, who operated the boats crossing the Yamuna. When Shantanu approached for her hand in marriage, Satyavati's father, Dasraj, refused unless he would proclaim the children born to her as his heirs. This made Shantanu despondent, and upon discovering the reason for his father's despondency, Devavrata sought out the girl's father and ceded his claim to the throne. At this, Satyavati's father retorted that even if Devavratha gave up his claim to the throne, then took the vow of lifelong celibacy, thus sacrificing his 'crown-prince' title and denying himself the pleasures of conjugal love. His father granted him the boon of Ichcha Mrityu. Bhishma took another vow that he would always see his father's image in whoever sat on the King's throne, and would thus serve the king faithfully and truthfully.Years later, in the process of finding a bride for his half-brother, the young king Vichitravirya, Bhishma abducted princesses Amba and Ambika, Ambalika by force and presented them to Satyavati for marriage to Vichitravirya. They were the daughters of Kashya, the King of Kashi. Amba sought refuge with Parasurama, who ordered Bhishma to marry Amba, telling Bhishma it was his duty. Bhishma politely refused, saying that he was ready to give up his life at the command of his teacher but not the promise that he had made.After Vichitravirya's death, his mother Satyavati sent for her first born, Rishi Veda Vyasa and asked him to father children on the widowed queens according to the prevalent custom of Niyoga. When he approached Ambika, she closed her eyes in fear. As a result the blind Dhritrashtra was born. When he approached Ambalika, she turned pale in fear. Her son Pandu was born with a pale. Ambika instead sent Parishrami, her house cleaner to Vyasa and had a healthy child Vidura. While these are Vyasa's sons, another son Shuka, born of his wife Pinjala (Vatika), daughter of the sage Jabali was his true spiritual heir. Shuka appears occasionally in the story as a spiritual guide to the young Kuru princes.Vyasa categorized the primordial single Veda into three canonical collections and that the fourth one, known as Atharvaveda, was recognized as Veda only very much later. As he was, the "Splitter of the Vedas" called as Veda Vyasa. He asked Ganesha to assist him in writing epic Mahabharata. Lord Ganesha understood the verses first before transcribing them. Thus, Vyasa narrated Mahabharata. Large and elaborate lists given, describing hundreds of kingdoms, tribes, provinces, cities, towns, villages, rivers, mountains, forests, etc. of the Bharata Varsha. Additionally, he gave 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. He wrote all the Upanishads and 18 Puranas. Read and share now...Sivkishen
