In Adivamsavatarana Parva of Adi Parva - 62nd section, it is written "The sage Krishna-Dwaipayana completed his work in three years. Rising daily and purifying himself and performing his ascetic devotions, he composed this Mahabharata. Therefore, this should be heard by Brahmanas with the formality of a vow."*
* - please note that I am referring to the English translation by Shri Kisari Mohan Ganguli. Wherever I am quoting directly from the Mahabharata, it is from Shri Ganguli's English translation.
Yet earlier in the 2nd section itself of this epic, is the episode of Ganesa agreeing to become scribe of this epic is mentioned and the mutual conditions between Sri Ganesa and Veda Vyasa. The condition were that Veda Vyasa will never stop reciting the epic, once started and Ganesa will not write what he couldnt comprehend. There is no editing or review or anything like that, once said is said, once written is written. I dont think I have managed to do that for a single piece, large or small, I have written in my life, including this one.
How immensely challenging it must have been for Sri Ganesa, to not only listen the verse properly but also write it down, just as Vyasa would be reciting the next shloka. Ganesa must have been doing both at the same time, listening as well as writing. What Vyasa did in order to give himself some time to compose is that he would compose in difficult words, so it would take a moment or two more for Ganesa to understand. A couple of decades back there would be typists who would be secretaries to people in high positions, who would note down their boss' dictation in shorthand (an abbreviated notational way of writing) and then it type it. But even they were using shorthand, I dont think Ganesa was using any shorthand.
Sri Vyasa also had an equally challenging task, of not only visualizing and thinking about an episode but to compose it in poetic manner in an uniform metrical structure called Chandas - I think Mahabharata is composed in Anustubh Chandas? (not sure though). All the Puranas are composed in Anustubh Chandas which is typically 32 syllable long, structured in 4 groups of 8 each. Arrangement in a Chandas has many benefits - foremost amongst these is easy memorization. Even though Ganesa wrote the tome, in those days mostly Itihasas, Puranas and Vedas were remembered. Secondly it protects against corruption of the text.
Having said this, one wonders if the conditions were that Vyasa would never stop composing and Ganesa would never stop writing, then how come its also mentioned that Vyasa purified himself daily and performed his ascetic devotions. I guess, they would not have composed and written all day and night. To give an analogy, it is said that the Mahabharata War was fought for 18 days, one would assume that it was fought 18 days without any break. But we know that the rules were set, that fighting would happen from sunrise to sunset, neither before, nor after. And there were other rules as well like who would fight whom etc. But moot point is that it was not entire day. There was time given for everything. And it is impossible that such devout, disciplined personages such as Vyasa or Ganesa would not perform their daily ablutions. So they would have some other conditions such as sunrise to sunset for the task of writing Mahabharata, probably 12 hours or even 10 hours. And the rest of time was to do the other necessary daily activities.
Its also mentioned that it took 3 years to compose the Mahabharata. This in itself is quite a significant piece of information. Vyasa was a great scholar, with immense ability to compose with suitable words, he compiled the entire Vedas, dividing it into 4 parts. Indeed that is the derivation of the title Vyasa - Vyasa means a compiler. He has composed all of the Puranas. Yet it took him 3 years to compose Mahabharata, such a stupendous exercise was Mahabharata.
It kindles one's curiosity as to the speed at which Vyasa would have composed Mahabharata. Assuming that they worked without break of a single day, we are talking about 365 x 3 = 1095 days. And its said that there are 1 Lakh shlokas in Mahabharata, so it would mean that they composed 91-92 shlokas per day. While this is high number, it is not very high. Assuming they worked for 8-10 hours a day, it seems a slow rate for a great muni such as Vyasa (its still very fast for ordinary men like us). But its also written that the 1 Lakh Shlokas is the text that is available to Manushyas i.e humans, its not the entirety of what was composed by Vyasa.
In this connection, in the very first section of Adi Parva is mentioned:
"Vyasa executed the compilation of the Bharata, exclusive of the episodes originally in twenty-four
thousand verses; and so much only is called by the learned as the Bharata. Afterwards, he composed an epitome in one hundred and fifty verses, consisting of the introduction with the chapter of contents. This he first taught to his son Suka; and afterwards he gave it to others of his disciples who were possessed of the same qualifications. After that he executed another compilation, consisting of six(ty) hundred thousand verses. Of those, thirty hundred thousand are known in the world of the Devas; fifteen hundred thousand in the world of the Pitris: fourteen hundred thousand among the Gandharvas, and one hundred thousand in the regions of mankind. Narada recited them to the Devas, Devala to the Pitris, and Suka published them to the Gandharvas, Yakshas, and Rakshasas: and in this world they were recited by Vaisampayana, one of the disciples of Vyasa, a man of just principles and the first among all those acquainted with the Vedas. Know that I, Sauti, have also repeated one hundred thousand verses."
So there were 60 Lakhs shlokas of which humans have 1 Lakh available. So the scripture composed by Vyasa must have been this 60 thousand shloka one. If we consider this, then the shlokas composed per day goes upto a whopping 5480 per day, which means 548 per hour, assuming they worked for 10 hours a day, so 9-10 shlokas per minute. So each shloka would be composed in 6-7 seconds. Thats actually the time it takes to just recite the shloka of 32 syllables properly. If they worked for 12 hours a day, instead of 10, then they would have got less than couple of seconds more to compose/write a shloka i.e. around 8 seconds.
* - please note that I am referring to the English translation by Shri Kisari Mohan Ganguli. Wherever I am quoting directly from the Mahabharata, it is from Shri Ganguli's English translation.
Yet earlier in the 2nd section itself of this epic, is the episode of Ganesa agreeing to become scribe of this epic is mentioned and the mutual conditions between Sri Ganesa and Veda Vyasa. The condition were that Veda Vyasa will never stop reciting the epic, once started and Ganesa will not write what he couldnt comprehend. There is no editing or review or anything like that, once said is said, once written is written. I dont think I have managed to do that for a single piece, large or small, I have written in my life, including this one.
How immensely challenging it must have been for Sri Ganesa, to not only listen the verse properly but also write it down, just as Vyasa would be reciting the next shloka. Ganesa must have been doing both at the same time, listening as well as writing. What Vyasa did in order to give himself some time to compose is that he would compose in difficult words, so it would take a moment or two more for Ganesa to understand. A couple of decades back there would be typists who would be secretaries to people in high positions, who would note down their boss' dictation in shorthand (an abbreviated notational way of writing) and then it type it. But even they were using shorthand, I dont think Ganesa was using any shorthand.
Sri Vyasa also had an equally challenging task, of not only visualizing and thinking about an episode but to compose it in poetic manner in an uniform metrical structure called Chandas - I think Mahabharata is composed in Anustubh Chandas? (not sure though). All the Puranas are composed in Anustubh Chandas which is typically 32 syllable long, structured in 4 groups of 8 each. Arrangement in a Chandas has many benefits - foremost amongst these is easy memorization. Even though Ganesa wrote the tome, in those days mostly Itihasas, Puranas and Vedas were remembered. Secondly it protects against corruption of the text.
Having said this, one wonders if the conditions were that Vyasa would never stop composing and Ganesa would never stop writing, then how come its also mentioned that Vyasa purified himself daily and performed his ascetic devotions. I guess, they would not have composed and written all day and night. To give an analogy, it is said that the Mahabharata War was fought for 18 days, one would assume that it was fought 18 days without any break. But we know that the rules were set, that fighting would happen from sunrise to sunset, neither before, nor after. And there were other rules as well like who would fight whom etc. But moot point is that it was not entire day. There was time given for everything. And it is impossible that such devout, disciplined personages such as Vyasa or Ganesa would not perform their daily ablutions. So they would have some other conditions such as sunrise to sunset for the task of writing Mahabharata, probably 12 hours or even 10 hours. And the rest of time was to do the other necessary daily activities.
Its also mentioned that it took 3 years to compose the Mahabharata. This in itself is quite a significant piece of information. Vyasa was a great scholar, with immense ability to compose with suitable words, he compiled the entire Vedas, dividing it into 4 parts. Indeed that is the derivation of the title Vyasa - Vyasa means a compiler. He has composed all of the Puranas. Yet it took him 3 years to compose Mahabharata, such a stupendous exercise was Mahabharata.
It kindles one's curiosity as to the speed at which Vyasa would have composed Mahabharata. Assuming that they worked without break of a single day, we are talking about 365 x 3 = 1095 days. And its said that there are 1 Lakh shlokas in Mahabharata, so it would mean that they composed 91-92 shlokas per day. While this is high number, it is not very high. Assuming they worked for 8-10 hours a day, it seems a slow rate for a great muni such as Vyasa (its still very fast for ordinary men like us). But its also written that the 1 Lakh Shlokas is the text that is available to Manushyas i.e humans, its not the entirety of what was composed by Vyasa.
In this connection, in the very first section of Adi Parva is mentioned:
"Vyasa executed the compilation of the Bharata, exclusive of the episodes originally in twenty-four
thousand verses; and so much only is called by the learned as the Bharata. Afterwards, he composed an epitome in one hundred and fifty verses, consisting of the introduction with the chapter of contents. This he first taught to his son Suka; and afterwards he gave it to others of his disciples who were possessed of the same qualifications. After that he executed another compilation, consisting of six(ty) hundred thousand verses. Of those, thirty hundred thousand are known in the world of the Devas; fifteen hundred thousand in the world of the Pitris: fourteen hundred thousand among the Gandharvas, and one hundred thousand in the regions of mankind. Narada recited them to the Devas, Devala to the Pitris, and Suka published them to the Gandharvas, Yakshas, and Rakshasas: and in this world they were recited by Vaisampayana, one of the disciples of Vyasa, a man of just principles and the first among all those acquainted with the Vedas. Know that I, Sauti, have also repeated one hundred thousand verses."
So there were 60 Lakhs shlokas of which humans have 1 Lakh available. So the scripture composed by Vyasa must have been this 60 thousand shloka one. If we consider this, then the shlokas composed per day goes upto a whopping 5480 per day, which means 548 per hour, assuming they worked for 10 hours a day, so 9-10 shlokas per minute. So each shloka would be composed in 6-7 seconds. Thats actually the time it takes to just recite the shloka of 32 syllables properly. If they worked for 12 hours a day, instead of 10, then they would have got less than couple of seconds more to compose/write a shloka i.e. around 8 seconds.
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