About the Book:

Authorship of the great Sanskrit language epic poem of India, the Mahabharata, is attributed to the sage Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa. This study focuses on the depiction of Vyasa in the Mahabharata, where he is an important character in the tale he is credited with composing.

Other scholars have interpreted Vyasa as an incarnation of Narayana Visnu. This study, however, demonstrates that he is so depicted only very rarely in the epic, and that elsewhere the Mahabharata portrays Vyasa as corresponding meaningfully with Brahma. Vyasa is, in fact, the earthly counterpart to Brahma in the Mahabharata, as Krsna is of Visnu, etc. The interpretation of Vyasa is enriched by the different perspectives provided by other literature, including dramas, Jataka tales, Arthasastra, and Puranas.

About the Author:

BRUCE M.SULLIVAN is a professor of Religious Studies in the Dept. of Humanities, Arts and Religion, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, USA. He did his M.A. (1975) in Religion, concentration in Asian Religious. He further got Ph. D degree (1984) in the History of Religious Discipline from the Dept. of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, the University of Chicago. His other works include: Historical Dictionary of Hinduism and The Sun God's Daughter and King Samvarana, and a number of articles.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

List of abbreviations
1. Author and Authority
2. The author in his own composition
3. The divine plan in the epic
4. Vyasa as Brahma on earth
5. Other perspectives on Vyasa
6. Conclusions
Appendix

Selected bibliography