Character

Vyasa

व्यासVyāsa

Also called Ved Vyas

verses
3,245
books
23
chapters
1,176

What the texts say

In the Mahabharata, Vyasa, also called Dvaipayana, "island-born", is the son of Satyavati and the sage Parashara. Mahabharata 1.57.71Mahabharata (Gita Press) 1.60.2 The Vishnu Purana tells how he divided the single Veda into four parts, so that sacred knowledge might be upheld. Vishnu Purana 3.4.2, 3.2.58 The Devi Bhagavatam says he composed the eighteen Puranas. Devi Bhagavatam 1.3.17 In the Mahabharata's opening chapter, he remembers Ganesha, who appears, and asks him to write down the Bharata as he dictates. Mahabharata (Gita Press) 1.1.75, 1.1.77 The epic also names him grandsire of the Pandavas, heroes of the story, and father of the wise Vidura. Mahabharata (Gita Press) 1.60.2, 1.63.114 In the same epic, he first teaches his son Shuka, then other suitable disciples, among them Vaishampayana. Mahabharata 1.1.63, 1.54.21 In the Bhagavata Purana, his son Shuka says he studied the Bhagavatam from his father, Vyasa. Bhagavatam 2.1.8, 9.22.21

Where to read

Every verse that names Vyasa, book by book.

  1. Devi Bhagavatam

    692 verses · 174 chapters

    All 692 verses in the Devi Bhagavatam
    • 6.25.1

      Vyas apni ulajhan ka haal batate hain. Vyas ne kaha, jab maine yeh baat kahi, toh Vasavi chaunk gayi. Woh machhli maare beti thi, aur beta ke liye bahut tadap rahi thi. Usne mujhe kaha

    • 1.14.1

      Suta ne kaha, Vyasa ne us ladki ko dekha. Uski aankhen kaali thi. Vyasa ghabra gaya. Sochne laga, kya karoon? Yeh devi ladki mere liye sahi nahi hai.

    • 1.20.1

      Rishiyon ne kaha ki Shuka ne sabse badi siddhi paa li. Ab batao, uske baad Vyas ne kya kiya? Sab kuch detail mein sunao.

  2. Skanda Purana

    687 verses · 215 chapters

    All 687 verses in the Skanda Purana
    • 5.3.97.4

      Raja, Vyasa teertha sabse mushkil hai milna. Main budha ho gaya, body mein taqat nahi. Ab itna kar nahi sakta.

    • 6.1.147.2

      Us ped ke neeche rishi log tapasya karte the. Unhone beta paya. Jab Shuka van chale gaye, tab Kapinjal wahan aaya. Yeh Vyasa ji ka beta tha.

    • 4.2.45.1

      Vyas ne kaha, Suta, accha sunn. Skanda ne jo kaha hai woh sunn. Agastya ko mera bhavishya kya hai, woh bata rahe the.

  3. Mahabharata

    455 verses · 218 chapters

    All 455 verses in the Mahabharata

    Also in the Gita Press edition: 2,319 verses

    • 16.9.4

      Arjun baar-baar saans le raha tha. Uska dil nahi lag raha tha, woh dukhi tha. Yeh dekh ke Vyas ne usse kuch kaha.

    • 1.99.24

      Maharishi Vyas ne apni maa ko paani se saaf kiya. Phir unhone unko pranam kiya. Voh unka bada beta tha. Itne mein Vyas ne baat shuru ki.

    • 12.315.10

      Jab shishya chale gaye, tab Vyas apne bete ke saath akele mein baith gaye. Kuch nahi bole, bas dhyaan mein lage rahe. Woh bahut gyani the.

  4. Shiva Purana

    363 verses · 117 chapters

    All 363 verses in the Shiva Purana
    • 6.1.3

      Vyas ne kaha ki bete, khushi se suno. Main tumhe Kailas Samhita batata hoon. Yeh Shiv ke baare mein sabse badi baat hai. Main tumhe pyaar se sab samjhaunga.

    • 5.4.4

      Vyas ne kaha, Sanatkumar, tum sab jaante ho. Shankar aur Mahesh ki yeh acchi kahaani mujhe sunao. Woh kitne tarah ki khelti kudti hain, woh sab batao.

    • 2.5.8.1

      Vyas ne kaha, Sanatkumar, tum sab jaante ho. Tum Shiv ke sabse bade bhakt ho aur tumhara dimaag acha hai. Beta, maine ek ajeeb kahani suni hai. Yeh kahani Parameshwar ki hai jo sabse bade bhagwan hain.

Also named in

Key chapters

The chapters where Vyasa matters most.

  1. Arjuna’s Lament and Vyāsa’s Counsel on Kāla (Mausala-parva, Adhyāya 9)

    Mahabharata 16.9 · 3 verses

    Seer-teacher interpreting catastrophe through kāla and dharma

  2. Vyāsatīrtha-prādurbhāvaḥ: Origin and Merit of Vyāsa Tīrtha (व्यासतीर्थप्रादुर्भावः)

    Skanda Purana 5.3.97 · 33 verses

  3. Vatikēśvara-Māhātmya and the Discourse on Śuka’s Renunciation (वटिकेश्वरमाहात्म्य-शुकवैराग्यसंवादः)

    Skanda Purana 6.1.147 · 24 verses

  4. Vyāsa-bhuja-stambha (व्यासभुजस्तंभ): Doctrinal Correction and the Establishment of Vyāseśvara

    Skanda Purana 4.2.45 · 20 verses

  5. Vyāsa's Description of His Own Delusion

    Devi Bhagavatam 6.25 · 4 verses

  6. Satyavatī’s Disclosure and the Summoning of Vyāsa (Niyoga for Kuru Succession)

    Mahabharata 1.99 · 6 verses

    Ascetic authority and instrument of continuity

  7. Restoring Vedic Recitation, the Anadhyaya Rule, and the Taxonomy of Winds

    Mahabharata 12.315 · 7 verses

    Central authority on Veda, discipline, and cosmology

  8. Births of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu, and Vidura

    Mahabharata 1.100 · 5 verses

    Agent of dharma and destiny

  9. Vyasa's Description of Grihastha Dharma and the Birth of Shuka

    Devi Bhagavatam 1.14 · 21 verses

  10. Description of the Birth of Dhritarashtra and Others

    Devi Bhagavatam 1.20 · 16 verses

Key episodes

  1. Ganesha Writes the Mahabharata as Vyasa Dictates

    Mahabharata (Gita Press) 1.1

Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q330521