Vyasa Dvaipayana, the great poet and sage, creates a great epic. He can
recite it, but he wants to make a lasting contribution to literature. So,
he searches for a writer. After many years, he cannot find one who will
write his poem down. In desperation, he summons the elephant-headed god
Ganesha. The pot-bellied god is none to pleased at being taken away from
his heavenly dinner, so he is rather annoyed: "What is it?" "O remover
of obstacles, mighty Ganesha, I have composed a poem. Who better than yourself,
a god of learning, a god of auspicious beginnings to write down my story?"
Flattered, Ganesha replies, "I will write, if you agree not to pause in
your recitation." "That's fine with me," Vyasa states, "but you must understand
everything I tell you." Ganesha nods in approval: "Let us begin, ambitious
poet!"Vyasa recites: "I begin with the sacrifice of King Janamejaya ...
Janamejaya, the king of the Kurus, holds a sacrifice. Many princes and
brahmins attend. During a lull in the
proceedings, the great sage Dvaipayana (Vyasa) is asked to recite his great
poem. The story he tells is the Bharata--the story
of the Kurus. Hence the entire epic is called the Great Bharata or
Mahabharata. Ganesha laughs, "I see, a story within a story. Most unusual,
grizzled hermit! But then again, so is your disheveled appearance!" "Let
me continue, obese one!" Vyasa exclaims. Vyasa skips the story of the boring
sacrifice and begins his long narrative. "First
I shall outline the contents of this work!
..."
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