The Mahabharata has for centuries been one of the greatest sources of historical epics and mystical wisdom in India. It contains tales of romance, greed, lust and revenge, stories of souls tormented by material attachment, fierce warriors and their bloodthirsty and romantic exploits. Thus it may appear, at first perusal, to be merely superficial storytelling, but at the heart of Mahabharata is dharma, the path of religious life. It is illuminated by the instructions of liberated sages throughout its pages. The stories serve as the illustrations by which the sages are able to make their profound philosophical message clear. The readers, being initially attracted by the stories, nevertheless derive the benefit, in the end, of association with saints.
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ADI-PARVA
VYASADEVA DICTATES MAHABHARATA
Shri Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasadeva conceived of the Mahabharata after executing a great deal of austerity and meditation. Although Vyasadeva had compiled numerous other Vedic literatures for the benefit of persons in the dark age of Kali, the Mahabharata was specifically intended to give women, laborers and degraded members of the higher classes a chance to understand Vedic wisdom. While containing extensive explanations of dharma, artha, kama and moksha, the Mahabharata essentially teaches through the medium of historical narrations which deal with the lives of great personalities. Because of this, the Mahabharata quickly and ever-increasingly captures the interest of the reader, in spite of its epic dimensions. When Shrila Vyasadeva saw that his composition had expanded to 100,000 verses, however, he became anxious upon considering how the work could be passed on to future generations through his disciples.
Lord Brahma could understand Vyasadeva's deep concern and so he personally appeared before the compiler of Vedic wisdom in order to bestow upon him his benediction. Along with numerous other great rishis, the wonder-struck Vyasadeva stood up and welcomed Lord Brahma with folded hands and then presented him with a very nice seat. Finally, after circumambulating Lord Brahma and then seating himself with the permission of the universal grandsire, Vyasadeva spoke unto him as follows: "O Lord, I have composed a great work that centers around the lives of the Pandavas and their role in serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Shri Krishna, who descended upon the earth just to relieve her burden. Although this epic literature is ultimately meant to draw one's attention to Lord Krishna's instructions known as the Bhagavad gita, the all-encompassing work deals with every aspect of human existence in the course of its historical narrations. By the mercy of the Supreme Lord, !
I have been able to conceive of this sublime literature but the difficulty is that I cannot think of anyone capable of writing it down so that it can be passed on to future generations."
Lord Brahma then smilingly replied, "O foremost of rishis, you should absorb your mind in meditation upon Shri Ganesh, the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Being pleased, he will surely take up the task which you required."
After saying this, Lord Brahma disappeared from that place, and without wasting time, Vyasadeva sat down in order to execute the instruction which had been given to him. Indeed, it so happened that as soon as Ganesh was meditated upon, the celestial scribe appeared before Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva was overjoyed and after offering Ganesh proper respect he said, "I have conceived a wonderful historical narration within my mind that is intended for the welfare of all human society. I request you to write down all 100,000 verses that comprise this epic literature as I dictate them. Only then will my composition become fruitful."
Ganesh replied, "I agree to perform this laborious task, but only under the condition that once I begin to write, my pen should not have to stop for even a moment."
Vyasadeva then said, "Let it be so. I shall never inconvenience you with even the slightest delay, but in turn, you must agree not to continue writing until you have actually comprehended that which has already been dictated."
Ganesh smilingly consented by vibrating the sacred syllable "Om," and then he sat down in order to commence work at once. After concentrating his mind, Vyasadeva began to narrate the Mahabharata, and he composed it in such a way as to present many deep and grave meanings in concise statements. Because of this, again and again Ganesh had to pause momentarily in order to contemplate the purport of Vyasadeva's verses. In this way, Shrila Vyasadeva was very cleverly able to provide himself with ample time for dictation without making Ganesh lose patience.
The Mahabharata was recited for the first time by Shrila Vyasadeva's disciple, Vaishampayana, at the snake-sacrifice of King Janamejaya. Vyasadeva himself was present there and so was Suta Goswami, the son of Romaharshana, who was also known as Ugrashrava. After hearing the Mahabharata, Suta Goswami went to Naimisharanya, where sages headed by Saunaka Rishi were engaged in performing a 1,000-year sacrifice to counteract the effects of the forthcoming age of Kali. The rishis at Naimisharanya were very eager to hear this great composition from Suta Goswami and so they welcomed him with great respect. After taking his seat upon the vyasasana, Suta Goswami first of all described the contents of the Mahabharata summarily. Then, before beginning the recitation of the Mahabharata proper, Suta Goswami first-of-all related the following incident.
(Beginning of first chapter)
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