Who actually wrote the Mahabharata?

Kabyashree

Who actually wrote the Mahabharata?

It is the longest epic in the world and manifests stories of generations. The grandeur in which the story is narrated makes it an interesting read even in the 21st century. But, who actually wrote the Mahabharata?

An original manuscript of the Mahabharata. Image Source: Wikipedia

The credit for creating this magnificent masterpiece rests holistically on Sage Vyasa. He appears to be an important character in this epic saga. But, the line of primogeniture in the Kuru kingdom goes from King Shantanu to Chitrangada to Vichitravirya to Pandu to Dhritarashtra, and finally, to the Pandavas.

Vyasa was a contemporary of Vichitravirya, and so, by the time the war and the Mahabharata ended, he should age over a hundred years. And it is mentally (even if not physically) not possible for a man to recall events of the past and pen down details about it in a beautiful poetic form.

So who authored the text? Historical scholars have their views on it which might also seem sensible. The original story might deal with only the war period. These might be narratives of the charioteers who were involved in the war. The charioteer-bard’s recital of the adventurous war scenes and glorious achievements of their kings might have been quite fascinating among the common people of that time. They were transmitted orally, and with time, the stories got popular.

Then came the period when chiefdoms began to be formed in the subcontinent. Known after the ruling family, chiefdoms like those of the ‘Kurus’ and ‘Panchalas’ became quite popular around the 5th century BCE. The story of the Mahabharata revolves around these places, which gradually turn into powerful kingdoms.

During this period, the kings patronized the learned Brahmins and probably made them write chronicles of their times. Since the Mahabharata war narrative was a popular tell-tale, they started writing it down and added factors like kingdoms, administrative structures, and also social norms.

As time proceeded, the story got re-written with various added contents each time. Later came a period when Hinduism was in a crisis. The Brahmanas had to write the Puranas in which the stories of the re-incarnation of Vishnu and Shiva were written. The period between 200 BCE and 200 CE saw a the growing interest in Krishna worship in India. This was probably the time when the character of Krishna was added to the famous story of that time.

But naming a person to write such a long poem probably seemed absurd to even to the Brahmins. So they had a solution for it. They mentioned that Lord Ganesha wrote the story while Sage Vyasa narrated it. We do not know about the reality of the events of the Mahabharata war. But, we can be proud of our progenitors for creating such a marvelous masterpiece.

As time passed, Indian society began accepting the Brahmanical form of Hinduism. The period between 200 to 400 CE marked the creation of various scriptures dealing with social behavior and responsibility. Books like the Manusmriti were also written during this period. There is a possibility that even the story of the bards got a transition and the various rules of social conduct assimilated to it.

With all these additions, a text that probably was of a few hundred verses finally grew to be more than 100,000 verses. To make things easier, the whole composition might have been credited to a sage called Vyasa.

Using the name Vyasa can also be objected to. Historians have given logical answers to it. It might be perhaps because a Sage called Vyasa was very popular during that time among the Brahmins. And so, to honor him, they might have named their most fantastic creation after him. Again, the role of Vyasa in Mahabharata can also make him popular. Without Vyasa, the story would have ended with Vichitravirya ruling the kingdom until his death, thus leading to the end of the Kuru lineage.