Reading Notes A: Mahabharata

I chose the public domain edition of the Mahabharata.  The epic was originally composed by Vyasa, who apparently plays an important role in the story.  Vyasa is telling the story to the elephant-headed god Ganesha in the first chapter or episode, so I chose to take reading notes over it.

So the Mahabharata was an epic of Vyasa, who also arranged the Vedas which is believed to be authorless because it is not of man. Vyasa felt that no one was worthy on Earth to write the story out since it contained everything that man needed to know about earth and heaven.  Since Vyasa was so concerned over worthiness, Brahma told the storyteller that Ganesha (the god) would be the scribe.  Ganesha only agrees if his pen is not allowed to stop at all.

Vyasa repeated it to his disciple, Vaishampayana.  He retold the tale at a snake sacrifice of King of Hastinapura, Janamejaya.  He is the great-grandson of Arjuna, one of the five Pandu brothers who were grandsons of Vyasa.

The first story also details Vyasa’s birth, which is sort of similar in content since it is discussing the birth or creation of something.

So Vyasa is the grandson of Uparichara, king of Chedi, who the Gods were really worried about trying to take their power.  Indra was sent to bribe the king with a crystal car that would carry him through the sky; it was a special gift because only Uparichara could use it as it was designed for him and no other mortal.

One day, for some reason, his semen fell out of the chariot as he was flying and into a river.  A female fish swallowed it and had two children, a boy and a girl.  When a fisherman found the children (ten months later when the fish was caught), he was quick to tell the king about the wonderful discovery.  The king took his son but left his daughter to be reared by the fisherman’s wife.

The girl was beautiful but she smelled like a fish; her name was Satyavati.  Her foster father, the fisherman, was a ferryman on the river Yamuna.  She helps him often, maybe because she still loves the water as her first home (maybe even her true home).  So then she is ferrying the rishi Parashara across the river.  She “yields to his embraces” on the condition she remain a virgin and lose her fishy smell (perhaps not so true home then?).  The story says she became so sweet-smelling you could smell her seven miles away.  A child was conceived from rishi Parashara and Satyavati.  This child was Vyasa, originally called Dwaipayana or Island-born.  His name changed to Vyasa since he arranged the Vedas.

There are literally so many different places you could take this story.  I am really interested in Satyavati.  Had the rishi seen her before?  Did she want to go back to the water or was she content in life and the only thing that bothered her was that she smelt like a fish?  It is really interesting to think about.

Goliath Tiger Fish from Animal Planet