As stated in our last blog, Vyasa told Brahma why he was troubled - he needed a scribe who could write Mahabharat down while Vyasa narrates it to him. Brahma recommended Ganesha, the god of knowledge himself! But things were not as straightforward! Here’s the story of what happened as stated MB 1.1.76-83 -
(Sauti narrating to his audience:) Vyasa meditated upon Ganesa and called him. And Ganesa, obviator of obstacles, ready to fulfil the desires of his votaries, repaired to the place where Vyasa was seated. And when he had been saluted and was seated, Vyasa addressed him thus, 'O guide of the Ganas! You please be the writer of the Bharata which I have formed in my imagination, and which I am about to repeat."
Ganesa, upon hearing this address, thus answered, 'I will become the writer of thy work, provided my pen does not even for a moment cease writing (so you should narrate without pausing even to recall or think and should maintain the speed)." And Vyasa said unto that divinity, 'Wherever there be anything you do not comprehend, cease to continue writing. (write only when you understand what you are writing)'
Ganesa signified his assent, by repeating the word Om! And proceeded to write; Vyasa began; Vyasa inserted in his composition many verses which were cyphered and difficult to make sense of. Later Vyasa told about these verses - ‘My poem has eight thousand and eight hundred verses whose meaning is known only to me and my son Suka, and perhaps Sanjaya. From the mysteriousness of their meaning, O Muni, no one is able, to this day, to penetrate those closely knit difficult verses. Though these verses may literally say something, their meaning maybe something else.’
Even the omniscient Ganesa took a moment to consider and paused writing; while Vyasa, however, continued to compose other verses in great abundance.
Through this tale, the author wants to emphasize that the literature has such richness and depth, that even the God of knowledge had to pause a bit to make complete sense of it.
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