Badarayan, more commonly known as Bhagwan
Veda Vyas is Sanatan Dharma's adi (first) acharya. He was born on
Ashadh Purnima, of parents Parashar rishi and mother Satyavati. His
dark complexion also rendered him the name Krishna. Further, because
of his birth on an island - dwip - in the middle of the river Yamuna,
he was conferred the name Dvaipayan. Hence the name Krishna Dvaipayan
Vyas. Being a descendent of the Badari family, he is also called Badarayan.
He is one among the renowned twelve chiranjivis - long-lived personalities
of Sanatan Dharma, which include: Hanumanji, Bali, Parshuram, Ashwatthama,
Krupa, Vibhishan and others.
In the beginning, there existed only one Veda. Vyasji then simplified
and divided this into four: Rig, Sam, Yajur and Atharva (Vachanamrut
Vartal-18). Hence, he became known as Veda Vyas. For the lay people
he then composed 17 Purans. Through these, in the form of stories,
different groups of people were then able to consolidate their devotion
to their revered deities.
Vyasji then composed the Itihas text 'Maha- bharat,' to propagate
the principles of dharma, arth, kam and moksha. As he uttered the
aphorisms, Ganeshji scribed them. This text is also glorified as the
fifth Veda or panchmo vedaha with Vyas' name, Krishna Dvaipayan Vyas.
Among the philosophical sections of the Mahabharat, the Bhagvad Gita
is considered the crest-jewel. Gita is contained in the Bhisma Parva,
Chapters 23 to 40.
Vyas studied under great scholars like Parashar, Vasudev and Sanakadik
rishis. He established his ashram in the recesses of the Himalayas,
at the confluence of the sacred rivers, Saraswati and Alaknanda, near
the pilgrim place of Shamyapras. Here he taught the Vedas to four
pupils: Paila, Vaishampayan, Jaimini and Sumantu. His sons, born from
his thoughts - a phenomenon known as sankalp putras - included: King
Pandu, father of the Pandavs; Dhrutrashtra, father of the Kauravs;
Vidurji and Shukdevji.
After composing such staggering voluminous scriptures he still experienced
discontentment at heart. He divulged this to Narad rishi, who is considered
to be God's 'mind'. Naradji replied, "Though you have written
extensively on dharma, arth, and kam you have not dealt with moksha
and the knowledge of the self. This is not possible without the manifest
form of God. Today, he manifests as Shri Krishna. Therefore, compose
a sacred text narrating Shri Krishna's glory and which will inspire
bhakti in the hearts of devotees. This is the only work left for you.
Only by glorifying such divine episodes will your discord be alleviated.
There is no other way."
Vyasji, then composed the eighteenth Mahapuran, the Shrimad Bhagvat,
also known as Satvati Shruti - the Veda of the Vaishnavs.
Veda Vyas also composed the Vedant Sutras, also synonymously known
as : Uttar Mimansa, Brahma Mimansa, Brahma Sutra, Badarayan Sutra,
Vyas Sutra and Sharirak Sutra.
Dating scriptures
Sanatan Dharma's fundamental belief is that the Vedas are sanatan
- eternal - and apaurusheya - not composed by any human entity. At
the beginning of every cosmic cycle of Brahma, God utters the divine
words through Brahma's mouth. Later, at various periods different
rishis, through divine grace, realise these divine words, known as
sakshat darshan. They then teach their realised knowledge orally to
their pupils. In this manner the tradition is handed down the ages.
Later, this knowledge is scribed using letters. Through this five-fold
manner: i) eternal existence of Vedic knowledge ii) vocalisation of
Vedic knowledge iii) darshan (realisation) of Vedic knowledge iv)
the propagation of this 'heard' Vedic knowledge and v) the compilation
by scribing of Vedic knowledge, mankind is graced with Vedic knowledge.
At the end of Brahma's cosmic period, the Vedic knowledge in its gross
(sthul) form apparently disappears, only to reappear in Brahma's next
cycle of creation. Hence, in reality, Vedas are eternal and so in
Bharatvarsh's true tradition and belief the question of dating hardly
arises.
Hence the dates and periods attributed by Western so-called intellectuals
and Indians swayed by them are totally preposterous; a deliberate,
subtly malicious attempt to ridicule the sacred and eternal heritage
of Bharat. Even their interpretations of the true and sacred meanings
of the scriptures are flagrantly warped and often shallow. Without
the bona fide guru's guidance this is but natural. Though many claim
to have studied the texts in Sanskrit, they do not have the faintest
inklings of the basics. Most copied their predecessors or Indian scholars
whose thinking and bent of mind was also 'colonialised.' The most
notorious among the Europeans was Max Muller, who, solely on whim,
extremely reluctantly placed the dating of the Rig Veda at 1200 BCE,
and the Upanishads at mere 800 to 600 BCE!
By astronomical observations of planetary movements the exact date
of the beginning of Kali-yug of has been verified. From this, by simple
arithmetic, the date of the Mahabharat and Brahma Sutras can be calculated.
i. Kali-yug: 3,102 years BCE - 20 February at 2hours 27 minutes and
30 seconds. The astrologer, Bailey, concurred, "The calculation
of the Brahmins is so exactly confirmed by our own astronomical tables
that nothing but actual observation could have given so correspondent
a result." (Theology of the Hindus by Count Bjornstjerna, p.132.)
This amounts to 3102 + 2002 (CE) = 5,104 years.
ii. The Mahabharat War: began 36 years prior to the start of Kali-yug
(or when 36 years of Dwapar-yug remained).
This means 5,104 + 36 = 5140 years ago.
iii. Shrimad Bhagvat: its first discourse was related by Shukdevji
to King Parikshit 30 years after Shri Krishna's departure (Padma Puran,
Uttarkhand 198-71.) i.e. 30 years into Kali-yug - 3082 BCE.
iv. From this it can be inferred that Vyasji composed the Shrimad
Bhagvat prior to 3082 BCE. And, as mentioned earlier, the Mahabharat
was written after the Bhagvat, since the Gita (part of Mahabharat,
Bhisma Parva. Ch.23 to 40) also mentions the Brahma Sutras and vice-versa.
They can both be contemporaneous or within a short period of each
other - post 3082 BCE (c. 5084 years ago).
Hence the periods assigned to the writing of the Brahma Sutras by
western and eastern scholars listed below, can be seen to be wholly
ludicrous!
A.B.Keith - 200 BCE
Jacobi - 250 to 450 BCE
Frazer - 400 BCE
Max Muller - 300 BCE
Hiriyanna - 480 BCE
Dasgupta - 200 BCE
Veda Vyas and
Bhagwan Swaminarayan
Bhagwan Swaminarayan has upheld Veda Vyas and the scriptures written
by him as supremely authoritative. Of the eight scriptures that He
cites in the Shikshapatri (93-95) and Vachanamrut Vartal-18 as authoritative,
five are by Vyasji; four Vedas, Vedant Sutras, Shrimad Bhagvat, Vidurniti
(Mahabharat, Udyog Parva 33-40) and Bhagvad Gita.
He praises Vyasji in eleven Vachanamruts: Gadhada I-39, Kariyani-6,
Loya-4, 9, 18, Gadhada II-6, 9, 21, 64, Vartal-18 and Gadhada III-10.
In Gadhada II-21, He cites the essence of all Vyasji's works; that
for the liberation of the jiva, God is the creator, sustainer and
destroyer of the cosmos. In Vartal-18 and Gadhada III-10 He lauds
Vyasji as the greatest of all acharyas; not comparable to Shankar,
Ramanuja and all others, because all of them have based their beliefs
and established their sampradays on Vyasji's works whereas Vyasji
does not need to rely upon anyone else to be authoritative. To a Vedanti
(in Gadhada I-39) and a scholar of the Madhva Sampraday (Gadhada III-10)
He emphatically commands them to quote from Vyasji's scriptures to
clarify certain beliefs. To the Madhvi scholar, He further requests
reference from the Bhagvat because, "It is the essence of the
Vedas, Purans and Itihas scriptures," and also from the Gita,
which is the more authoritative part of the Mahabharat. Too overwhelmed
by Maharaj's logical reasoning, both scholars failed to answer Him!
Finally, in the Swamini Vato (1/35), Aksharbrahma Gunatitanand Swami
cites Vyasji's essence and principle after his deep reflection of
his texts:
Alodya sarva shastrani vicharya cha punaha punaha,
Idamekam sunishpannam dhyeyo Narayano Harihi.
i.e. after repeatedly reflecting on all the scriptures, I have arrived
at one principal conclusion; that life's goal is to attain Bhagwan
Narayan.
In remembrance and glory of Veda Vyas as the first and foremost acharya
and guru of Sanatan Dharma, the festival of Guru Purnima is celebrated
annually on Ashadh Punam, also known as Vyas Purnima, when one's spiritual
guru is offered pujan.
18 Purans
