Vyasa
Legendary ancient Indian sage, compiler of the Vedas, and author of the Mahabharata
Vyasa (; Sanskrit: व्यास, lit. 'compiler, arranger', IAST: Vyāsa) is a rishi (sage) with a prominent role in most Hindu traditions. He is also known as Veda Vyasa (Sanskrit: वेदव्यास, lit. 'the one who classified the Vedas', IAST: Vedavyāsa) or Krishna Dvaipayana (Sanskrit: कृष्णद्वैपायन, IAST: Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana). Traditionally regarded as the author of the epic Mahābhārata, Vyasa also plays a prominent role as a character. He is also regarded by the Hindu traditions to be the compiler of the mantras of the Vedas into four texts, as well as the author of the eighteen Purāṇas and the Brahma Sutras.
Vyasa is regarded by many Hindus as a partial incarnation (Sanskrit: अंशावतार, IAST: Aṃśāvatāra) of Vishnu. He is one of the immortals called the Chiranjivis, held by adherents to still be alive in the current age known as the Kali Yuga.
Name
"Vyasa" (Vyāsa) means "compiler" or "arranger and also "separation" or "division." Other meanings include "split," "differentiate," or "describe." It is also a title given to "a holy sage or a pious learned man" and is applied to "persons distinguished for their writings."
Vyasa is commonly known as "Veda Vyasa" (Sanskrit: वेदव्यास, Vedavyāsa) as he divided the single, eternal Veda into four separate books—Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. In the Mahabharata, Vyasa is also called Krishna, which refers to his dark complexion (krishna), and as Dvaipāyana, as his birthplace was on an island (dvaipayana).
Divider of the Veda
Hindus traditionally hold that Vyasa subcategorized the primordial single Veda to produce four parts as a canonical collection. Hence he was called Veda-Vyasa, or "Splitter of the Vedas", the splitting being a feat that allowed people to understand the divine knowledge of the Veda.
The public source identifies “Vyasa” as legendary ancient Indian sage, compiler of the Vedas, and author of the Mahabharata. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Vyasa, Legendary and ancient.
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A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Vyasa”, the useful work is to connect “legendary ancient Indian sage, compiler of the Vedas, and author of the Mahabharata” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q330521. VIAF identifies the subject as 7739151778235418130004. The Library of Congress control number is n79109341. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Three-step research path
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This entry incorporates text from “Vyasa” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.