Vaishampayana ( sa, वैशंपायन, ) is the traditional narrator of the ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
'', one of the two major
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
epics
The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) is a set of software tools and applications used to develop and implement distributed control systems to operate devices such as particle accelerators, telescopes and other large sci ...
of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
Legend
Vaishampayana is a renowned sage who is stated to be the original teacher of the ''Krishna
Yajur-Veda:''
The ''Ashvalayana Grihya Sutra'' mentions him as ''Mahabharatacharya''. He is also mentioned in the ''Taittiriya Aranayaka'' and the ''Ashtadhyayi'' of
Pāṇini
, era = ;;6th–5th century BCE
, region = Indian philosophy
, main_interests = Grammar, linguistics
, notable_works = ' (Sanskrit#Classical Sanskrit, Classical Sanskrit)
, influenced=
, notable_ideas=Descript ...
.
Vyasa
Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...
is regarded to have taught the ''Mahabharata'' of 100,000 verses to Vaishampayana. He is regarded to have recited the epic to King
Janamejaya
Janamejaya ( sa, जनमेजय) was a Kuru king who reigned during the Middle Vedic period. Along with his father and predecessor Parikshit, he played a decisive role in the consolidation of the Kuru state, the arrangement of Vedic hymns ...
at his ''sarpa satra'' (snake sacrifice) The
Harivamsha Purana is also recited by him, where he narrates the legend of
Prithu's emergence from
Vena.
Reference
Further reading
*Dowson's Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology
Characters in the Mahabharata
Rishis
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