In the unfolding cycles of time, during each Dvāpara Yuga, a great sage arises to divide and preserve the Veda for the world. In the very first Dvāpara, it was Svayambhu who undertook this sacred task. In the second, the Prajapati known as Vedavyasa performed the division. The third cycle saw Ushanas as Vyasa, followed by Brihaspati in the fourth. In the fifth, Savita became Vyasa, and in the sixth, it was Mrityu, the Lord of Death, who took on this role. The seventh Dvāpara Yuga remembers Indra as Vyasa, while Vasiṣṭha fulfilled this office in the eighth. The ninth was Sārasvata; the tenth, Tridhāmā. The eleventh was Triśikha; then came Bharadvāja, followed by Āntarikṣa as the thirteenth, and Varṇī as the fourteenth Vyasa. Trayyaruṇa became the fifteenth, Dhanaṃjaya the sixteenth, Kratuṃjaya the seventeenth, and Jaya is remembered beyond him. After Jaya, Vyāsa, the son of Bharadvāja, arose. From Bharadvāja came Gautama, and from Gautama, the next Vyāsa, renowned as Haryātmā. Succeeding Haryātmā was the sage Vājaśravā; from him, Somaśuṣkāyaṇa, and then Tṛṇabiṃdu. From Ṛkṣa came Bhūdbhārgava; from Bhūdbhārgava, Vālmīki; from Vālmīki, my own father Śakti; and from Vyāsa, I myself, O sage. From me, Jātukarṇa was born, and after him, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana. Thus, these twenty-eight illustrious compilers of the Veda are known, each arising in their time to preserve the sacred knowledge. It was by them that the single Veda was divided into four during the Dvāpara and other ages, ensuring its transmission and understanding. In the Dvāpara Yuga yet to come, Drauṇi will become Vyāsa, following my son, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana. Certainly, the one-syllabled Brahman is established as ‘Om’—so called for its greatness and all-pervasiveness. The eternal Pranava, ‘Om’, abides as ‘bhūḥ’, ‘bhuvaḥ’, and ‘svaḥ’, the three worlds; and to that Brahman, the very essence of Ṛg, Yajus, Sāma, and Atharva Vedas, I offer my reverence. This Brahman is known as the cause of creation and dissolution, the supreme and most secret, beyond even the greatest; to that sublime Brahman, I bow. It is the unfathomable, boundless, imperishable abode, whose own light and activity serve the highest aims of all beings. It is the foundation for those who know Sāṃkhya, the path for the self-controlled; the imperceptible, immortal, eternal Brahman is the very source of all action. It is called the primordial substance, the source of the self, residing in the cave of the heart—undivided, pure, imperishable, and manifesting in many forms. To that supreme Brahman, the true form of Vāsudeva, the Supreme Self, I offer constant reverence. This Brahman, the Lord, is both threefold in distinction and undivided in essence. Though perceived as divided by those with limited understanding, in truth, it remains whole. He is composed of Ṛg, Sāma, and Yajus—the essence of all—being the soul of these Vedas and of every living being. As the embodiment of the Veda, he divides himself, making the Veda manifold through many branches. The Blessed One, free from attachment, is the very form of knowledge in all its branches. Parāśara then spoke: The original Veda is fourfold and consists of one hundred thousand verses. From this, the entire vast body of sacrifice arises, ten times greater, embodying the essence of every chant. In the twenty-eighth cycle, my son Vyāsa, the great sage, divided the single fourfold Veda into four distinct parts. Just as the wise Vyāsa did, so too have all the Vyāsas before him, and so have I. Therefore, O best of the twice-born, understand by this how the branches of the Vedas have been divided and established in every age. Know that the dark-complexioned Dvaipāyana Vyāsa is none other than Nārāyaṇa, the Lord himself; for who else on earth, O Maitreya, could have composed the Mahābhārata? By him, my great-souled son, the Vedas were divided in the Dvāpara age. Now, listen to how this was accomplished. At the command of Brahmā, Vyāsa began the division, selecting four disciples who had mastered the Vedas. To Paila he entrusted the Ṛgveda, to Vaiśampāyana the Yajurveda. Jaimini became the knower of the Sāmaveda, and Sumantu received the Atharvaveda from the wise Vedavyāsa. The great sage also took Romaharṣaṇa, the Sūta, as a disciple for the Itihāsa and Purāṇas. Once, the Yajurveda was one; Vyāsa divided it into four, from which the fourfold priesthood emerged, and then performed the sacrifice. The office of Adhvaryu was established with the Yajus mantras, the Hotṛ with the Ṛg mantras, the Udgātṛ with the Sāma mantras, and the Brāhmaṇa with the Atharva mantras. The sage separated the Ṛg mantras to form the Ṛgveda, the Yajus mantras for the Yajurveda, and the Sāma mantras for the Sāmaveda. By means of the Atharvaveda, the Lord ensured all royal rituals were performed, and the office of Brāhmaṇa was established as appropriate. Thus, this one great tree of the Veda was divided by him, and from its trunk arose the fourfold Veda, branching out in all directions. First, O brāhmaṇa, Paila divided the Ṛgveda into two collections, giving one to Indrapramati and the other to Bāskala. Then Bāskala’s collection was divided into four parts and distributed among his disciples, beginning with Baudhya. Baudhya, Agnimaṭhara, Uddālaka, Yājñavalkya, and Parāśara each received a branch from that school. Indrapramati, in turn, taught the Saṃhitā to his own son, the great-souled Māṇḍūkāya, thus continuing the sacred transmission. In this way, the wisdom of the Veda, preserved and divided by the sages, has been passed down through the ages, ensuring the light of knowledge endures in the world.