The mother of these birds was flying over the battlefield when she was struck by an arrow that ripped open her womb. Markandeya’s pupils then directed Jaimini to four birds who had witnessed the war at Kurukshetra. Unfortunately, by the time Jaimini found Markandeya, the sage had renounced speech as part of his decision to renounce the world. Since Vyasa was not around to clarify his doubts, Jaimini decided to approach Markandeya, a Rishi blessed with long life, who had witnessed the events that had inspired Vyasa’s tale. Jaimini, another of Vyasa’s students, also heard his teacher’s tale. Vyasa also narrated the story to his son, the parrot-headed Suka, who narrated it to Parikshit, Janamejaya’s father, comforting him with its wisdom as he lay dying. This was overheard by a Sauti or bard called Romaharshana, who passed it on to his son Ugrashrava, who narrated it to Shonak and the other sages of the Naimisha forest. Vaisampayana narrated Vyasa’s tale at the yagna of Janamejaya, the great grandson of the Pandava Arjuna.
Thus no one really knows everything that Vyasa narrated and Ganesha wrote down. Of these, only one part reached humans through Vyasa’s student, Vaisampayana. Vyasa called his tale Jaya, meaning ‘the tale of a victory’.
The villains, the Kauravas, were in fact his own grandchildren. The characters of Vyasa’s tale were people he knew. ‘I will,’ said Vyasa, ‘provided you write nothing unless it makes sense to you.’ This ensured that all that was written appealed to the divine. Ganesha said, ‘You must narrate without a pause.’ This would ensure that what Vyasa dictated was not adulterated by human prejudice. The gods liked the idea and sent the elephant-headed Ganesha to serve as his scribe. On completing this monumental task, Vyasa had this inexplicable urge to write a story, one that would convey the most abstract of Vedic truths to the simplest of men in the farthest corners of the world in the most concrete of forms. Vyasa classified the hymns and created four collections-Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. In time, Krishna Dwaipayana became known as Veda Vyasa, compiler of the books of wisdom. His father was Parasara, grandson of the great Vasishtha, one of the seven Rishis who heard the Vedaįirst. His name was Krishna Dwaipayana which means the dark child who was born on a river island. When the rains finally returned, a fisherwoman’s son, born out of wedlock, took it upon himself to compile the scattered hymns. Then there was a drought, a terrible fourteen-year drought, when the river Saraswati dried up, the society collapsed, and the Veda was all but forgotten. The point of existence in this dynamic, ever-changing world then was not to aspire or achieve, but to introspect. Thus everything was interconnected and everything was cyclical. In other lives, past or present, the Shudra of this life would be a Vaishya, and the Kshatriya would be a Brahman, or perhaps a rock or plant or beast, maybe even a god or a demon. Thanks to the Veda, everyone in this society knew that the life they led was just one of many.
The Brahmans were the teachers of this society, the Kshatriyas its guardians, the Vaishyas its providers and the Shudras its servants. Based on what the Veda revealed, the Rishis created a society where everything had a place and where everything changed with rhythmic regularity. Those who heard them first came to be known as the Rishis. These chants relieved vedana, the yearning of the restless human soul, hence became collectively known as the Veda. They gave the world meaning and life a purpose. They were perhaps whispers of God, or maybe insights of the wise. I dedicate this book to all the scholars, authors, archivists, playwrights, film-makers and storytellers, both ancient and modern, who have worked towards keeping this grand and ancient epic alive through their songs, dances, stories, plays, novels, performances, films and teleserials for over 3000 years Renunciation Epilogue: The End of the Snake Sacrifice The Idea Called Dharma Bibliography Acknowledgements Copyright Page DEVDUTT PATTANAIK Jaya An Illustrated Retelling of the MahabharataĬontents Dedication Author’s Note: What Ganesha Wrote Structure of Vyasa’s Epic Prologue: The Start of the Snake Sacrifice 1.
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