The life history of Ved Vyas is an interesting one. The author of the
great epic Mahabharata, Ved Vyas was the first and greatest acharya of
Sanatan Dharma. He is responsible for classifying the four Vedas, wrote
the 18 Puranas and recited the great Mahabharata. In fact, the
Mahabharata is often called as the fifth Veda. The most important and
the most glorified section is the Bhagwad Gita, the lesson recited to
Arjuna by Lord Krishna on the battlefield. The biography of Ved Vyas is
very vivid and makes an interesting read.
Around
some 5000 years ago, he was born on an island on the holy river Yamuna.
His father was Parashar Rishi, a sage and his mother was Satyavati. He
taught the Vedas to his pupils with ardent devotion and dedication. It
is said that Mahabharata is the 18th Puran that was written by Ved Vyas.
He fathered four famous sons, Pandu, Dhritarashtra, Vidur and Sukhdev.
Ved Vyas received knowledge from great sages like Vasudeva and
Sanakadik. He described that the most important goal in one's life is to
attain Narayana or the Divine Supreme.
Apart from the Mahabharata, he also wrote the Brahmasootra, one of his
shortest theologies on Hindu philosophy. It is said that Ved Vyas is
immortal and he never died. Seeing the widespread violence in today's
times, he is said to have retreated into some remote village in Northern
India. The life of Ved Vyas is an example to all in the modern times on
how to be selfless and devote oneself entirely to Lord in order to
attain Nirvana.
