Maharshi Veda Vyasa – A Profound Scholar and Guru
Maharshi Veda Vyasa was born on a full moon day in the month of Ashadha ( July- August). The day is now known as Guru poornima or Vyasa poornima. He edited and compiled the four Veds , wrote 18 Purans, the Mahabharat and the Srimad Bhagwata Gita. The 18 major purans alone have approximately four million verses. He also taught Dattareya, a great Guru himself. Sage Vyas is called ‘Vishal-Budhi’ ( great intelligence )
. He was assisted by Lord Ganapati in writing the Mahabharat.
One of his most influential texts on philosophy is the Brahma Sutra, a short metaphysical work of 550 short sentences. Vyasa is a word synonymous with both scriptural knowledge and experience. The seat from which a guru or master delivers a talk is still called ‘ Vyasa Peeth’ as homage to Maharshi Vyasa.
Vyasa was a love child born of a Rishi and a fisher girl. Once his father, Sage Parasara, grand son of the great Sage Vasishta (one of the ancestral Sapta Rishis or Seven Sages of Hinduism ), wanted to cross the Yamuna . The boatman was having lunch just then, so his daughter Matsyagandhi rowed the Sage across instead. So charmed was he by her beauty that he created clouds of mist around the boat and the couple fulfilled their desire.The child of a Rishi is born instantly according to Hindu myth ( rishi garbham, aterm still used to scold impatient people’ What do you think this is, Rishi Garbham’
A dark complexioned son was born in nine seconds to the couple on an island ( Dvipam ) in the river. They called Krishna Dvaipayana, the ‘Dark One Born on an Island’
Matsyagandhi next attracted the eye of King Shantanu, who married her and took her home as Queen Satyavati. When Satyavati was left as a widowed queen mother , with both of her sons dead as well and no heir to the kingdom , she sent for her son Krishna Dvaipayan.
By the ancient rule of ‘ Niyoga ‘ he was asked to sleep with Satyavati’s two widowed daughters-in-law, Ambika and Ambalika, the former princesses of Kashi. Their sons were prince Dhritrashtra , father of Kauravas and Prince Pandu, whose wives Kunti and Madri ,gave birth to Karna and Pandavas. The rest is well known
Source – Seema Burman’s article in Hindustan Times
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