Sage Ved Vyasa created the great Indian epic, Mahabharata. After composing the Mahabharata, he prayed to Lord Brahma, the creator.

When Brahma appeared before him, Vyasa said, “O Brahma, I have created the poem Mahabharata, which describes the mystery of the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas and history. I have imagined it in my mind, and I need someone to write this work down. Please guide me.”

Lord Brahma replied, “The Mahabharata will be the greatest poem ever written. Never will there be a poet whose work will come equal to yours. Take Ganesha’s help to write the poem. Pray to him, and he will accept your request. “

So, following Brahma’s advice, Vyasa went to the forest and started praying to Ganesha. Ganesha, the elephant god, is the remover of obstacles and the God of wisdom.

Hearing Vyasa’s prayers, Ganesha appeared before him. Vyasa bowed before Ganesha and said, “O Ganesha! Please help me write the poem Mahabharata that I have formed in my mind.”

Ganesha replied, “I will help you. But I write fast so you should keep up with my speed. Ensure there is a continuous flow in your thoughts. If you ever stop to think, I will stop writing and leave immediately.”

“As you wish, Ganesha. But please ensure you write only words that you understand. If there is ever a word or phrase that you do not follow, you should pause and know the meaning before going to the next word.”

Ganesha agreed to the condition, and thus it began. Vyasa steadily dictated the Mahabharata and Ganesha kept writing with no recess.

Ganesha kept on writing for days together without pausing even for a second.

Eventually, Vyasa was exhausted, “Ganesha is so fast that I am not able even to breathe. I must slow him down.”

Vyasa then proceeded to dictate a complex line, and Ganesha paused.

While Ganesha thought of the meaning of the line, Vyasa released a breath and started thinking of the lines that he would dictate next. After Ganesha could comprehend the meaning, he restarted writing, and Vyasa continued dictating.

They continued in this manner. Once a while, Vyasa would dictate a complex phrase whenever he needed some pause.

It is said that it took Ganesha a total of three years to finish writing the Mahabharat.

Author’s Note

One of Ganesha’s tusks is broken. According to a story, the feather or quill that Ganesha used to write broke in between. So, instead of stopping, Ganesha broke a part of his tusk. He used the tusk as a quill to write the Mahabharata.