Vyasa Book summary

Traditionally, it is believed that the Bhagavad Gita along with the Mahabharata was composed by the legendary and immortal poet Vyasa. It is said that Vyasa was the grandfather of both the Kauravs and the Pandavs, so he dictated the occurrences of the Mahabharata to the Ganesha, the elephant-headed god of beginnings. Vyasa was the son of princess Satyavati and a sage. He is believed to have grown up in the forests of Northern India as a commoner with a fisherman for a father. The Hindu brahmins taught him the Vedas, which are the earliest Hindu scriptures. It is said that Vyasa was responsible for dividing and compiling the Vedas into their present four Vedas form. Vyasa lived in a cave in the Himalayas, on the banks of the river Sravasti, where he crafted the Mahabharata. Some sects of Hinduism believe that Vyasa was also an incarnation of Lord Vishnu much like Krishna and Ram before him.