These are my reading notes for Mahabarata Part A, the story I chose to focus on is Vyasa and Ganesha, which is the origin story for the entire reading.
Plot notes:
- The author of the Mahabharata was Vyasa, who also arranged the Vedas.
He was anxious to find someone to write it for him, he did not think anyone on earth was worthy of the task ( It contained all of the knowledge that people should know about earth and heaven).
-Brahma appeared and told him that the god Ganesha would be his scribe. Ganesha agreed on condition that his pen was not allowed to stop for a moment.
- "Vyasa is not only the composer of the Mahabharata; he is also a character in the epic. Here is the story of his birth:
-The king of Chedi was Uparichara
- He was so devoted to asceticism that all of the Gods were afraid that he was trying to rob them of their power
-So they sent Indra to bribe him with a car that can carry him through the sky (designed just for him)
- One day he was flying and his semen fell into a river and impregnated a fish who gave birth to two children, a boy and a girl.
-The fishermen who caught them told the king of what he found. The king decided to keep the boy and raise him, and left the girl with the fisherman's wife.
- The girl was very beautiful but smelled terribly of fish.
Plot notes:
- The author of the Mahabharata was Vyasa, who also arranged the Vedas.
He was anxious to find someone to write it for him, he did not think anyone on earth was worthy of the task ( It contained all of the knowledge that people should know about earth and heaven).
-Brahma appeared and told him that the god Ganesha would be his scribe. Ganesha agreed on condition that his pen was not allowed to stop for a moment.
- "Vyasa is not only the composer of the Mahabharata; he is also a character in the epic. Here is the story of his birth:
-The king of Chedi was Uparichara
- He was so devoted to asceticism that all of the Gods were afraid that he was trying to rob them of their power
-So they sent Indra to bribe him with a car that can carry him through the sky (designed just for him)
- One day he was flying and his semen fell into a river and impregnated a fish who gave birth to two children, a boy and a girl.
-The fishermen who caught them told the king of what he found. The king decided to keep the boy and raise him, and left the girl with the fisherman's wife.
- The girl was very beautiful but smelled terribly of fish.
- She helped her foster father who worked as a ferryman across the river
- One day she was ferrying the rishi Parashara across the river, The rishi persuaded the girl to yield to his embraces by promising that she should remain a virgin. She also made a condition that she should lose her fishy smell. She became so sweet-smelling that the fragrance could be smelt seven miles away
- A child was born- now called Vyasa
This image, titled "River," comes from Barnyz on Flickr
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