Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
त्रिभिवर्षरिदं पूर्ण कृष्णद्वैपायन: प्रभु: । अखिल भारतं॑ चेदं चकार भगवान् मुनि:,मुनिवर भगवान् श्रीकृष्णद्वैपायनने तीन वर्षोमें इस सम्पूर्ण महाभारतको पूर्ण किया था
tribhir varṣair idaṁ pūrṇaṁ kṛṣṇadvaipāyanaḥ prabhuḥ | akhilaṁ bhārataṁ cedaṁ cakāra bhagavān muniḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) yang perkasa, sang muni yang diberkati, telah menyempurnakan seluruh Bhārata ini dalam tempoh tiga tahun.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse emphasizes the Mahābhārata’s authoritative status by highlighting Vyāsa’s deliberate completion of the entire work within a defined period, implying disciplined composition and the epic’s comprehensive intent to teach dharma.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, remarks on the composition of the epic itself: Vyāsa (Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana) completed the whole Bhārata in three years, a meta-narrative note about the text’s origin.