History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c90.124

v7.c90.124

The legends about Vyāsa and Sūta may be briefly considered. The Purāṇas declare that Vyāsa was the son of Parāśara, was also called Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana and was an incarnation of Viṣṇu (of Brahmā also in Vāyu 77. 74-75 and of Śiva in the Kūrma II. 11. 136). He was called Dvaipāyana¹³⁹⁰ because he was born on an island (dvīpa) in the Yamunā river and Kṛṣṇa because he was of dark complexion. His mother was Satyavatī and son was Śuka. He was called Vyāsa because he is supposed to have divided or arranged the one Veda into four parts (from the root 'as' 4th conjugation 'to throw' with the upasarga 'vi'). He instructed four disciples in the four Vedas, viz. Paila, Vaiśampāyana, Jaimini and Sumantu respectively in Ṛgveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda and Atharvaveda. His 5th disciple was Sūta Romaharṣaṇa to whom was imparted Itihāsa-Purāṇa. The son of Sūta was Sauti who narrated the Mahābhārata to Śaunaka and other sages in the Naimiṣa forest. It was believed that whenever *dharma* and Veda declined Vyāsas were born for the benefit of men (Brahma 158. 34). The Kūrma (I 52. 1-9) sets out 27 names of different Vyāsas, while Vāyu (23. 115-219), Brahmāṇḍa (II. 35. 116-125), Viṣṇu¹³⁹¹ (III. 3. 11-19)