Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.5025

c9.5025

7) Many Vyāsas. It is stated in the Purāṇas that in every Manu's age, a Vyāsa will be born. It is mentioned in Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Aṃśa 3, Chapter 3, as to who were the persons who took birth as Vyāsa in a particular Manu's age and which were the Vedas and branches of Vedas they had divided. It is given below: During the age of Manu Vaivasvata, in each of the past Dvāparayugas, the Veda had been divided by great hermits, twentyeight times. Twentyeight Vyāsas have passed, each of whom had divided the Veda into four parts in each Dvāpara Yuga. It was Brahmā himself who had divided the Veda into four in the first Dvāparayuga. Prajāpati was the Vedavyāsa in the second Dvāparayuga. In the third, Vyāsa was the teacher-priest Śukra; in the fourth Bṛhaspati; in the fifth the Sun; and in the sixth the all powerful Dharmarāja. It was Indra in the seventh, Vasiṣṭha in the eighth, Sārasvata in the ninth, and Tridhāmā in the tenth. It was Triśikha in the eleventh, Bharadvāja in the twelfth, Antarikṣa in the thirteenth, Varṇi in the fourteenth, Trayyāruṇa in the fifteenth, Dhanañjaya in the sixteenth, Kratuñjaya in the seventeenth and Jaya in the eighteenth. Next Bharadvāja comes as Vedavyāsa and Gautama after Bharadvāja. It was hermit Haryātmā who was the next Vyāsa, and then comes Vājāśravas. The Next Vyāsa was Tṛṇabindu born in the clan of Somaśuṣma. He was followed by Ṛkṣa. otherwise called Vālmīki born in the family of Bhṛgu. Śakti is the Next Vyāsa. After Parāśara, then Jātūkarṇa and then Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana. They are the twentyeight Vedavyāsas. Each one of these had divided the Veda which had been one at the beginning of each Dvāparayuga, into four Vedas. It is Aśvatthāmā, the son of Droṇa, who is going to be the Vedavyāsa of the coming Dvāparayuga.