Reading Notes: PDE Mahahbharata, Part A)

Vyasa and Ganesaha:  The author of th ehabata was Vyasa Brahma appeared and told home that the god Ganesha would be his scribe. Ganesha agreed on condition that his pen was not allowed to stop for a moment. There was a king called aparichara king of chedi who was greatly devoted to asceticism that the gods feared he was seeking to them of their power. so they sent intrea to bribe and offer a crystal car that had the ability of carrying through the sky tailor made priledge  specially made for him. one day he was flying in the sky and his semen fell into the the river where female fish swallowed it and ten months later a fisher caught her two children appeared; a boy and a girl.  he told the king of this and the king kept the boy and left the girl to be raised by the fisherman. This girl was beautiful but she smelled like a fish. She one day she was ferrying across the river the rishi prashara and the the rishi persuaded her to yield to his embraces by promising that she should remain a virgin. she also made a condition that she should lose her horrid fishy smell. she then became extremely sweet smelling that you could smell her 7 miles away. a child was born named Vyasa. 

King shantanu and ganga : King bharata was the sire of king hastin. king hastin begot king kuru and king kuru begot king shantanu. 

it has been said that king shantanu that he was pious. his first wife, ganga, was divinely beautiful to her kind. before she assumed human form for a time there came to her the eight vasus the attendeant of indra. it chanced that when the brahim Vashishtha was engaged in his hily meditiations. So they hastened to Ganga and she consented to become their human mother promising to help return them to thier ceoestial state. 

Vyasa and Ganesaha

 

 

Bibliography: The Mahabharata, A Summary by John Mandeville Macfie (1921). [400 words] Macfie's book is a very brief summary of the Mahabharata, but it is very readable and comprehensive.