Vyasa
Krishna Dvaipayana (), better known as Vyasa (; ) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, "Veda-vyāsaḥ", "the one who classified the Vedas"), is a central and revered sage portrayed in most Hindu traditions. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the Hindu epic "Mahabharata." He is also regarded by Hindu-tradition as the compiler of a number of works. As a Shaktyavesha Avatar (śaktyāveśa-avatāra) of Vishnu, he is also regarded by tradition as the compiler of the mantras" of the Vedas", as well as the author of the eighteen "Puranas" and the Brahma Sutras. He is one of the seven Chiranjeevis. Name . Vyasa's birth name is "Krishna Dvaipayana", which possibly refers to his dark complexion and birthplace, although he is more commonly known as "Veda Vyasa" ("Veda Vyāsa") as he is believed to have compiled the single, eternal "Veda" into four separate books "Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda" and "Atharvaveda". The word "Vyasa" ("Vyāsa") refers to "compiler," or, "arranger," and also means "separation," or, "division." Other meanings are "split," "differentiate," or, "describe." It is also a title, given to "a holy sage or a pious learned man," and applied to "persons distinguished for their writings." Hindus traditionally hold that Vyasa categorized the primordial  single Veda into three canonical collections, and that the fourth one, known as Atharvaveda, was recognized as Veda only very much later. Hence he was called Veda Vyasa, or "Splitter of the Vedas," the splitting being a feat that allowed people to understand the divine knowledge of the Veda. The "Vishnu Purana" elaborates on the role of Vyasa in Hindu chronology. The Hindu view of the universe is that of a cyclic phenomenon that comes into existence and dissolves repeatedly. Each "kalpa" cycle is presided over by a number of Manus, one for each "manvantara", and each "manvantara" has a  number of "Yuga Cycles", each with four "yuga" ages of declining virtues. The "Dvapara Yuga" is the third "yuga". The "Vishnu Purana" (Book 3, Ch 3) says: According to the Vishnu Purana, Aswatthama, the son of Drona, will become the next sage (Vyasa) and will divide the Veda in 29th Maha Yuga of 7th Manvantara. Attributed texts. The "Mahabharata". Vyasa is traditionally regarded as the chronicler of this epic and also features as an important character in "Mahābhārata." It is believed that Vyasa asks Ganesha to assist him in writing the text. Ganesha imposes a precondition that he would do  so only if Vyasa would narrate the story without a pause. Vyasa set a counter-condition that Ganesha understands the verses first before transcribing them. Thus Vyasa narrated the entire "Mahābhārata" and all the Upanishads and the 18 Puranas, while Lord Ganesha wrote. Vyasa's "Jaya" (literally, "victory"), the core of the "Mahabharata", is a dialogue between Dhritarashtra (the Kuru king and the father of the Kauravas, who opposed the Pāndavas in the Kurukshetra War) and Sanjaya, his adviser and charioteer. Sanjaya narrates the particulars of the Kurukshetra War, fought in eighteen days, chronologically. Dhritarashtra at times asks questions and  expresses doubts, sometimes lamenting, fearing the destruction the war would bring on his family, friends and kin. Large and elaborate lists are given, describing hundreds of kingdoms, tribes, provinces, cities, towns, villages, rivers, mountains, forests, etc. of the (ancient) Indian subcontinent (Bhārata Varsha). Additionally, he gives descriptions of the military formations adopted by each side on each day, the death of individual heroes and the details of the war-races. Eighteen chapters of Vyasa's Jaya constitute the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text in Hinduism. The Jaya deals with diverse subjects, such as geography, history, warfare, religion and morality. The  final version of Vyasa's work is the "Mahābhārata". It is structured as a narration by Ugrasrava Sauti, a professional storyteller, to an assembly of rishis who, in the forest of Naimisha, had just attended the 12-year sacrifice known as Saunaka, also known as Kulapati. At 100,000 verses, the "Mahābhārata" is the longest epic poem ever written. It also includes within it the Bhagavad Gita, a respected text within the Hindu tradition. Other texts attributed. Puranas. Vyasa is also credited with the writing of the eighteen major Purāṇas, which are works of Indian literature that cover an encyclopedic range  of topics covering various scriptures. He narrated the Devi-Bhagavata Purana to Parikshit's son Janamejaya. Yoga Bhashya. The "Yoga Bhashya", a commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, is attributed to unknown author called Vyasa, but was probably Patañjali's own work. Brahma Sutras. The Brahma Sutras, one of the foundational texts of Vedanta, are attributed to Badarayana. In some texts, Badarayana is also called "Vyasa", which literally means "one who arranges". Vaishnava Acharyas acknowledge Badarayana as Vyasa. Some modern historians, though, suggest that these were two different personalities. There may have been more than one Vyasa, or the  name Vyasa may have been used at times to give credibility to a number of ancient texts. Much ancient Indian literature was a result of long oral tradition with wide cultural significance rather than the result of a single author. However, Vyasa is credited with documenting, compiling, categorizing and writing commentaries on much of this literature. In the "Mahabharata". Birth. During her youth, Satyavati was a fisherwoman who used to drive a boat. One day, she helped Parashara to cross the river Yamuna. He was enchanted by her beauty and wanted an heir from her. Initially, Satyavati did not agree , telling that if others would see them, then her purity would be questioned. Parashara created a secret place in bushes of a nearby island and a blanket of thick fog. She conceived and immediately gave birth to a son. Parashara named him Krishna Dvaipayana, referring to his dark complexion and birthplace. Dvaipayana became an adult and promised his mother that he would come to her when needed. Parashara restored Satyavati's virginity, gifted her an enchanting smell and left with his son. Satyavati kept this incident a secret, not telling even King Shantanu whom she was married to later. Section::::"Niyoga  and birth of Vichitravirya's sons. Shantanu and Satyavati had two sons, named Chitrāngada and Vichitravirya. Both of them died early without leaving an heir, but Vichitravirya had two wives - Ambika and Ambalika. A widowed Satyavati initially asked her stepson, Bhishma, to marry both the queens, but he refused, citing his vow of celibacy. Satyavati revealed her secret past and requested him to bring her firstborn to impregnate the widows under a tradition called Niyoga. By this time, Vyasa had compiled the Vedas. Sage Vyasa was unkempt because of months of meditation in the forest. Hence upon seeing him, Ambika 	Vyasa
27725763	who was rather scared shut her eyes, resulting in their child, Dhritarashtra, being born blind. The other queen, Ambalika, turned pale upon meeting Vyasa, which resulted in their child, Pandu, being born pale. Alarmed, Satyavati requested that Vyasa meet Ambika again and grant her another son. Ambika instead sent her maid to meet Vyasa. The duty-bound maid was calm and composed; she had a healthy child who was later named Vidura. Connection with the Pandavas and Kauravas. When the children of Vichitravirya grew up, Bhishma got them married to different women. Dhritarashtra was married to Gandhari, princess of Gandhara	Vyasa
27725764	. Pandu married Kunti and Madri. Pandu left the kingdom, leaving Dhritarashtra as the acting king. Gandhari, during her adolescence, received a boon to have a hundred children but her pregnancy was taking a long period of time. After two years of pregnancy, Gandhari aborted her developing fetus, giving birth to a hard mass that looked like an iron ball. Vyasa came to the kingdom and using his knowledge, he asked to divide the mass into one hundred and one-pieces and put them into pots for incubation. After a year, 101 babies were born. Meanwhile, Kunti was blessed with two 	Vyasa
27725765	sons and later three more children were born upon Pandu's requests. While everybody rejoiced at the news of the birth of the Pandavas and Kauravas, misery took place in the forest. Pandu, who was cursed, died because of his attempt to make love with Madri. Kunti and the Pandavas returned to Hastinapura. Vyasa, feeling sorrow for his mother's fate, asked her to leave the kingdom and come with him to live a peaceful life. Satyavati, along with her two daughters-in-law, went to the forest. Disciples. Vyasa had a son named Shuka, who was his spiritual successor 	Vyasa
27725766	and heir. As per Skanda Purana", Vyasa married Vatikā, alias Pinjalā, who was the daughter of a sage named Jābāli. It is described that Vyasa's union with her produced his heir, who repeated everything that he heard, thus receiving the name Shuka (lit. Parrot). Other texts including the "Devi Bhagavata Purana" also narrate the birth of Shuka but with drastic differences. Vyasa was desiring an heir, when an "apsara" (celestial damsel) named Ghritachi flew in front of him in form of a beautiful parrot, causing him sexual arousal. He discharges his semen, which fell on some sticks and a  son developed. This time, he was named Shuka because of the role of the celestial parrot. Shuka appears occasionally in the story as a spiritual guide to the young Kuru princes. Besides his heir, Vyasa had four other disciples Paila, Jaimini, Vaishampayana and Sumantu. Each one of them was given the responsibility to spread one of the four Vedas. Paila was the made the incharge of "Rigveda", Jaimini of the "Samaveda", Vaishampayana of the "Yajurveda" and Sumantu of "Atharvaveda". Vyasa is believed to have lived on the banks of Ganga in modern-day Uttarakhand. The site was also the ritual  home of the sage Vashishta, along with the Pandavas, the five brothers of the "Mahabharata". Also a town in India is named after him - Vyasanagar (a very famous town in Odisha). Festival. The festival of Guru Purnima is dedicated to him. It is also known as "Vyasa Purnima", the day believed to be both of his birth and when he divided the Vedas. The mythological Vyasa Sarovara is located at Vyasangar. It hosts an 11-day fair in celebration of Lord Vyasadeva in the month of March. In Sikhism. In "Brahm Avtar", one of the compositions in Dasam Granth, the  Second Scripture of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh mentions Rishi Vyas as an avatar of Brahma. He is considered the fifth incarnation of Brahma. Guru Gobind Singh wrote a brief account of Rishi Vyas's compositions about great kings— Manu, Prithu, Bharath, Jujat, Ben, Mandata, Dilip, Raghu Raj and Aj— and attributed to him the store of Vedic learning.