After bringing forth Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu, and Vidura into the world, the wise sage Vyāsa returned to his hermitage, immersing himself once again in austerity. As these sons matured and reached their highest states, Vyāsa, the great sage, spoke the epic of the Bhārata to the people of the world. When the king Janamejaya, accompanied by thousands of Brahmins, questioned him, Vyāsa instructed his disciple Vaishampayana, who sat close by. During the intervals of the king’s grand sacrifice, Vyāsa repeatedly urged Vaishampayana, seated among the assembly, to recite the Bharata. In his narration, Vyāsa spoke in detail about the lineage of the Kurus, the righteousness of Gandhari, the wisdom of Vidura, and the steadfastness of Kunti. He described the greatness of Vasudeva, the truthfulness of the Pandavas, and the wickedness of Dhritarāṣṭra’s sons. This Bhārata, together with its supplementary tales, is known as the supreme Bhārata—comprising one hundred thousand verses of virtuous deeds. Vyāsa composed the Bharata Samhita in twenty-four thousand verses; without the supplementary tales, the wise refer to this as the Bharata. Later, the sage made an abridged version, spanning over fifty chapters, including an index chapter recounting the events of all the books. Having created this most excellent narrative, the lord Dvaipayana Vyāsa considered how he might impart it to his disciples. Perceiving Vyāsa’s thoughts, the blessed Brahma, the teacher of the worlds, arrived there himself. For the sage’s pleasure and for the welfare of all beings, Brahma beheld Vyāsa with astonishment, standing with joined palms and bowing reverently. Surrounded by all the groups of sages, Brahma arranged a seat. Upon this supreme golden seat, he sat, and nearby, the son of Vasu took his place. Then, permitted by Brahma, the supreme lord, Krishna—pleased and smiling purely—sat down near the seat. Radiant in his splendor, Vyāsa spoke to Brahma, the supreme lord: “O blessed one, this revered poem has been composed by me.” “O Brahman, the secret of the Veda and whatever else I have established, as well as the detailed arrangement of the Vedas with their limbs and Upanishads, the emergence and dissolution of histories and ancient tales, and the threefold time—past, present, and future—all are contained here. The determination of aging, death, fear, disease, existence and non-existence, the various forms of dharma, and the characteristics of the stages of life; the arrangement of the four varnas, the entirety of the Puranas, the practices of austerity and celibacy, and the knowledge of the earth, moon, and sun; the measures of planets, stars, and constellations, along with their cycles; the Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas, and the essence of the Vedas as well; logic, phonetics, medicine, charity, and the Pashupata doctrine; thus, the birth of many disciplines, both divine and human, is described within.” “The praise of holy places and blessed lands, rivers, mountains, forests, and the ocean; the divine ancient tales, the cycles of creation, the skill of warfare, the varieties of speech, and the order of worldly conduct—all are explained here. Whatever is the all-pervading reality is also revealed; there is no other writer on earth who has done so.” Brahma then spoke: “Even compared to the great sage Vasishtha, renowned for his austerity, I consider you superior, for you possess knowledge of secret wisdom. From your very birth, I know you to be devoted to the Vedas, and since you have declared this to be a poem, it shall indeed be called a poem. Poets are not capable of describing the qualities of this poem, just as the other three stages of life cannot describe the householder. The world would become dull, blind, deaf, mad, and enveloped in darkness had you not kindled the fire of knowledge. For the world, blinded and bound by its own actions, you have brought a festival of vision to the intellect with the collyrium-stick of knowledge. By you, O sun of the Bharata, the darkness of men has been destroyed. By the full-moon of ancient tales, shining with the light of the Vedas, the minds of men, gentle as lotuses, have been gladdened. By the lamp of history, which destroys the veil of delusion, the entire womb of the world has been properly illuminated.” Brahma continued: “The summary chapter is the seed, with the stories of Pauloma and Astika as roots; the section on origins is its trunk, and the Sabha Parva is its knot. It is rich with the form of the Aranyaka Parva and contains the essence of the Virata and Udyoga Parvas. The Bhishma Parva is its great branch, and the Drona Parva its leaves. The Karna Parva is adorned with flowers, the Shalya Parva with fragrance; the Stri Parva is its resting place, and the Shanti Parva its great fruit. It is sheltered by the Ashvamedhika and Amshasana Parvas, and the Ashramavasika Parva; the Mausala Parva is its summary, and it is served by worthy twice-born men. It will be the support of all the foremost poets, just as the inexhaustible cloud is for all beings, and the great tree of Bharata. Let Ganesha be remembered, O sage, for the purpose of writing this poem.” Having thus spoken to Vyāsa, Brahma, the blessed creator of the world, departed to his own abode along with the hosts of sages and gods.