॥ श्रीहरीः ॥
॥ श्रीगणेशाय नमः ॥
॥ श्रीवेदव्यसाय नमः ॥
 |
Maharshi Vyas narrating Mahabharat to Shri Ganesh
|
In the hallowed environs of Naimisharanya, amidst the sanctity of Sage Shounak's twelve-year yajna satra, Ugrashrava Sauti commenced the narration of the Mahabharat, the sacred itithas. Here, Sauti revealed that this great epic was imparted to him by the Vaishampayana, the foremost disciple of illustrious Maharshi Vyasa who composed Mahabharat, during the sarpa satra conducted by King Janamejaya.
Yet, a question of great import arises - how was the composition of Mahabharat, the embodiment of Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha, done by Maharshi Vyasa?
Let us now delve into the origins of this scripture and unveil the tale of its creation.
There comes a shlok in Anukramanikaparva of Adiparva as
इदं तु त्रिषु लोकेषु महज्ज्ञानं प्रतिष्ठितं ।
विस्तरैश्च समासैश्च धार्यते द्विजातिभिः ॥27॥
अलंकृतं शुभैः शब्दैः समयैर्दिव्यमानुषैः ।
छन्दोवृत्तैश्च विविधैरन्वितं विदुषां प्रियम् ॥28॥
Transliteration
idaṃ tu triṣu lokeṣu mahajjñānaṃ pratiṣṭhitaṃ |
vistaraiśca samāsaiśca dhāryate dvijātibhiḥ ||27||
alaṃkṛtaṃ śubhaiḥ śabdaiḥ samayairdivyamānuṣaiḥ |
chandovṛttaiśca vividhairanvitaṃ viduṣāṃ priyam ||28||
"This sacred text, the Mahabharata, stands exalted across the three realms as the pinnacle of all knowledge, revered as the greatest repository of wisdom. Through the venerable traditions of oral recitation and written preservation, it is safeguarded and perpetuated by the learned Brahmanas. (27)
Adorned with a rich tapestry of diverse, pure, and sanctified chandas, and infused with the harmonious interplay of Sanskrit and Prakrit forms, this epic is rendered most beloved to scholars and seekers of truth. (28)"
Thus, it says the text is composed in a way that it has different Chandas and phraseologies.
A common conception of the Mahabharat is that it first had 8800 shlokas named Jaya, then it got extended with 24000 shlokas with the name Bharat or Adyabharat and then it finally again got extended into the present version of Mahabharat of 100,000 shloka. If one truly seeks to understand the Mahabharata, the wise and rightful path is to delve directly into the text itself to uncover the answers.
Let us see what "truth" Mahabharat says about it.
The following shloka comes in Anukramanika parva of Adiparva,
तपसा ब्रह्मचर्येण व्यस्य वेदं सनातनम् ।
इतिहासमिमं चक्रे पुण्यं सत्यवतीसुतः ॥54॥
पराशरात्मजो विद्वान् ब्रह्मर्षिः संशितव्रतः ।
तदाख्यानवरिष्ठं स कृत्वा द्वैपायनः प्रभुः ॥55॥
कथमध्यापयानीह शिष्यान्नित्यन्वचिन्तयत् ।
तस्य तच्चिन्तितं ज्ञात्वा ऋषेर्द्वैपायनस्य च ॥56॥
तत्राजगाम भगवान् ब्रह्मा लोकगुरुः स्वयम् ।
प्रीत्यर्थं तस्य चैवर्षेर्लोकानां हितकाम्यया ॥57॥
Transliteration
tapasā brahmacaryeṇa vyasya vedaṃ sanātanam |
itihāsamimaṃ cakre puṇyaṃ satyavatīsutaḥ ||54||
parāśarātmajo vidvān brahmarṣiḥ saṃśitavrataḥ |
tadākhyānavariṣṭhaṃ sa kṛtvā dvaipāyanaḥ prabhuḥ ||55||
kathamadhyāpayānīha śiṣyānnityanvacintayat |
tasya taccintitaṃ jñātvā ṛṣerdvaipāyanasya ca ||56||
tatrājagāma bhagavān brahmā lokaguruḥ svayam |
prītyarthaṃ tasya caivarṣerlokānāṃ hitakāmyayā ||57||
"After celibate penance and austerities, after having classified the eternal Vedas, Satyavati's son composed this holy history. The learned Brahmarshi, the son of Parashara, followed pure vows, and having composed the Mahabharat akhyaan started contemplating. How should I teach this granth to my disciples? How can I make this granth public? Having known these contemplations of Vyasa, Bhagwan Brahma himself appeared to him with the objective of the welfare of all beings."
Fast forwarding the scene, Bhagwan Brahma then says to him,
अस्य काव्यस्य कवयो न समर्था विशेषणे ।
विशेषणे गृहस्थस्य शेषास्त्रस्य इवाश्रमाः ॥73॥
काव्यस्य लेखनर्थाय गणेशः स्मर्यतां मुने ।
एवमाभाष्य तं ब्रह्मा जगाम स्वं निवेशनम् ॥74॥
Transliteration
asya kāvyasya kavayo na samarthā viśeṣaṇe |
viśeṣaṇe gṛhasthasya śeṣāstrasya ivāśramāḥ ||73||
kāvyasya lekhanarthāya gaṇeśaḥ smaryatāṃ mune |
evamābhāṣya taṃ brahmā jagāma svaṃ niveśanam ||74||
"Even the greatest among philosophers, O noble one, shall find themselves incapable of crafting a work surpassing this divine composition, much as the three ashramas can never transcend the preeminence of Gruhasthashrama. O Muni, bow thy head in reverence to Lord Ganesha, that this sacred Kavya may be inscribed. Thus having spoken, Bhagwan Brahma departed, returning to his celestial abode."
On hearing this, Vyasa bowed his head in reverence to Lord Ganesha when Lord Ganesha himself came to him. Vyasa then requested the lord as,
लेखको भारतस्यास्य भव त्वं गणनायक ।
मयैव प्रोच्यमानस्य मनसा कल्पितस्य च ॥77॥
श्रुत्वैतत् प्राह विघ्नेशो यदि मे लेखनी क्षणम् ।
लिखितो नावतिष्ठेत तदा स्यां लेखको ह्यहम् ॥78॥
व्यासोऽप्युवाच तं देवमबुद्ध्वा मा लिख क्वचित् ।
ओमित्युक्त्वा गणेशोऽपि बभूव किल लेखकः ॥79॥
ग्रन्थग्रन्थिं तदा चक्रे मुनिर्गूढं कुतूहलात् ।
यस्मिन् प्रतिज्ञया प्राह मुनिर्द्वैपायनस्त्विदम् ॥80॥
अष्टौ श्लोकसहस्त्रणि अष्टौ श्लोकशतानि च ।
अहं वेद्मि शुको वेत्ति संजयो वेत्ति वा न वा ॥81॥
Transliteration
lekhako bhāratasyāsya bhava tvaṃ gaṇanāyaka |
mayaiva procyamānasya manasā kalpitasya ca ||77||
śrutvaitat prāha vighneśo yadi me lekhanī kṣaṇam |
likhito nāvatiṣṭheta tadā syāṃ lekhako hyaham ||78||
vyāso'pyuvāca taṃ devamabuddhvā mā likha kvacit |
omityuktvā gaṇeśo'pi babhūva kila lekhakaḥ ||79||
granthagranthiṃ tadā cakre munirgūḍhaṃ kutūhalāt |
yasmin pratijñayā prāha munirdvaipāyanastvidam ||80||
aṣṭau ślokasahastraṇi aṣṭau ślokaśatāni ca |
ahaṃ vedmi śuko vetti saṃjayo vetti vā na vā ||81||
"O Lord of Ganas (Ganesha), be the scribe for this sacred Bharata, which shall be spoken aloud by me and conceived within the depths of my mind." (77) Hearing this, Lord Vighnesha replied, "If my pen is not made to pause even for a moment while I write, then indeed I shall accept the task of being the scribe." (78) Vyasa, in turn, addressed the deity, saying, "Write nothing without first comprehending its meaning." Accepting this condition with the utterance of "Om," Lord Ganesha became the scribe. (79)
Out of curiosity and to uphold the condition, the sage wove intricate and profound complexities into the text, embedding within it deep and subtle meanings. Thus, Vyasa composed this great work under a solemn promise that (80) "This text consists of eight thousand shlokas and eight hundred more besides. I know its full meaning, Shuka knows it, and perhaps Sanjaya knows—or perhaps he does not." (81)
In the Adi Parva, the only mention of the "8,800 shlokas" appears in shloka 81, which states: "This text consists of eight thousand shlokas and eight hundred more besides. I know its full meaning, Shuka knows it, and perhaps Sanjaya knows—or perhaps he does not." The claim that the Jaya was initially written in 8,800 shlokas appears nowhere in the entire Mahabharata, in any edition, rendering it a mere misconception.
Now let us delve into another misconception of 'the extension of Jaya to 24000 shloka named Bharat'.
The scene of Lord Ganesh being the author continues. In the later shlokas from 82, the scripture gives a brief explanation of different parva and shortly the importance of Mahabharat.
Again fast-forwarding through the scene, we reach the following shloka,
इदं शतसहस्त्रं तु लोकानां पुण्यकर्मणाम् ॥101॥
उपाख्यानैः सह ज्ञेयमाद्यं भारतमुत्तमम् ।
चतुर्विंशतिसाहस्त्रीं चक्रे भारतसंहिताम् ॥102॥
उपाख्यानैर्विना तावद् भारतं प्रोच्यते बुधैः ।
Transliteration
idaṃ śatasahastraṃ tu lokānāṃ puṇyakarmaṇām ||101||
upākhyānaiḥ saha jñeyamādyaṃ bhāratamuttamam |
caturviṃśatisāhastrīṃ cakre bhāratasaṃhitām ||102||
upākhyānairvinā tāvad bhārataṃ procyate budhaiḥ |
"This composition, numbering one hundred thousand verses, is intended for those virtuous souls who perform meritorious deeds. It is to be understood along with its upakhyana as the foremost and original Adyabharat (another name of Mahabharat as the samhita of 100,000 shlokas came first and that's why the word Adya). (101) Recognised by the wise is the composition Bharat which is the samhita of 24000 shlokas from the main Mahabharat samhita without the inclusion of upakhyana. (102)"
Thus, the Mahabharata states that the Samhita of 24,000 shlokas, recognized by the wise as Bharata, is derived from the main Mahabharata text of 100,000 shlokas when the Upakhyanas are excluded. This Samhita of 24,000 extracted shlokas from the 100,000-shloka Mahabharata is called Bharata. Moreover, there is no mention anywhere of Bharata being an extension of any Jaya consisting of 8,800 shlokas. Thus, this too is a misconception.
Furthermore, another reference comes stating the Mahabharat to be of 100,000 shloka and not an extension of anything but rather a part of a bigger samhita of 6,000,000 shlokas. That reference goes as,
ततोऽन्येभ्योऽनुरुपेभ्यः शिष्येभ्यः प्रददौ विभुः ।
षष्टिं शतसहस्त्राणि चकारान्यां स संहिताम् ॥105॥
त्रिंशच्छतसहस्त्रं च देवलोके प्रतिष्ठितम् ।
पित्र्ये पञ्चदश प्रोक्तं गन्धर्वेषु चतुर्दश ॥106॥
एकं शतसहस्त्रं तु मानुषेषु प्रतिष्ठितम् ।
नारदोऽश्रावयद् देवानसितो देवलः पितॄन् ॥107॥
Transliteration
tato'nyebhyo'nurupebhyaḥ śiṣyebhyaḥ pradadau vibhuḥ |
ṣaṣṭiṃ śatasahastrāṇi cakārānyāṃ sa saṃhitām ||105||
triṃśacchatasahastraṃ ca devaloke pratiṣṭhitam |
pitrye pañcadaśa proktaṃ gandharveṣu caturdaśa ||106||
ekaṃ śatasahastraṃ tu mānuṣeṣu pratiṣṭhitam |
nārado'śrāvayad devānasito devalaḥ pitṝn ||107||
"The great sage, Vyasa, then distributed the sacred text to other worthy disciples according to their aptitudes. To them, the revered one entrusted another version of the Samhita, comprising six million verses. (105)
Of this vast composition, three million verses were established in the realm of the gods (Devaloka). 1.5 million were designated for the ancestors (Pitrya), and 1.4 million were assigned to the Gandharvas. (106)
The remaining one hundred thousand verses were set among humanity (Manushya-loka). Narada recited it to the gods, Asita-Devala imparted it to the ancestors, and the sage Devala shared it with the Gandharvas. (107)"
This samhita of 100,000 shlokas is but the Mahabharat.
Thus, in the denouement, the telling of the composition of Mahabharat first as Jaya of 8800 shlokas, then an extension of 24000 shlokas named as Bharat, and then its further extension to Mahabharat of 100,000 shlokas is but a misconception and has no scriptural evidence in Mahabharat.
Reference:
[1] Mahabharat, Adiparva, Pratham Khand, Gitapress, Gorakhpur.
[2] Mahabharat, Adiparva, BORI Critical edition.
