Vyasadeva

Vyasadeva (Vedavyasa, Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa), is the author of Mahabharata. He is the literary incarnation of God who 5,000 years ago put the Vedas in writing for the benefit of people in general. After dividing the original Veda into 4 parts, he also wrote various supplementary literatures, including the various Puranas, as well as Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Vyasa was born of Parashara Rishi and Satyavati, before her marriage to Maharaja Shantanu. He led an austere and devoted life. He had one son by his wife, named Shukadeva, who was a liberated soul from his very birth. Vyasa taught Shukadeva Srimad Bhagavatam, the cream of all Vedic knowledge, and Shukadeva later repeated Bhagavatam before Maharaja Parikshit, the only surviving grandson of the Pandavas, during the last seven days of his life.

After passing away of Maharaja Shantanu, and the death of her two sons, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, Satyavati summoned Vyasadeva to beget children upon her widowed daughters-in-law. Thus, Dhritarastra, Pandu and Vidura were born.

As described in Mahabharata, "Formerly, the spirited and virtuous Krishna-Dwaipayana, by the injunctions of Bhishma, the wise son of Ganga and of his own mother, became the father of three boys who were like the three fires by the two wives of Vichitra-virya; and having thus raised up Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura, he returned to his recluse abode to prosecute his religious exercise."

"And Santanu married Ganga, who bore him a son Devavrata who was afterwards called Bhishma. And

Bhishma, moved by the desire of doing good to his father, got him married to Satyavati who was also

called Gandhakali. And in her maidenhood she had a son by Parasara, named Dwaipayana. And upon

her Santanu begat two other sons named Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. And before they attained to

majority, Chitrangada had been slain by the Gandharvas. But Vichitravirya became king, and married

the two daughters of the king of Kasi, named Amvika and Amvalika. But Vichitravirya died childless.

Then Satyavati began to think as to how the dynasty of Dushmanta might be perpetuated. Then she

recollected the Rishi Dwaipayana. The latter coming before her, asked, 'What are thy commands?' 'She

said, 'Thy brother Vichitravirya hath gone to heaven childless. Beget virtuous children for him.'

Dwaipayana, consenting to this, begat three children, viz., Dhritarashtra, Pandu, and Vidura."