[Advaita-l] Advaita-l Digest, Vol 48, Issue 12

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Sat, 19 Jul 2008, Antharyami wrote:

> *Correction:*
> "Veda Vyasa *'compiled'* 18 Puranas and '*wrote*' Mahabharata, Brahma Sutras
> .."
>

Correction duly noted.  Actually the Vishnu Purana is a perfect example of 
this.  It is also called parAshara saMhita because the rshi parAshara 
first told it to rshi maitreya and then presumably it passed down to 
kR^iShNa dvaipAyana and to sUta etc.

I disagree about the brahmasutra though.  it clearly refers to many older 
teachers and their views.  Where they belong to some outsider those views
are introduced by "some say" or "if it is supposed..." etc. but where they 
belong to "our camp" the author is identified by name even if, as in the 
case of jaimini in the devatadhikarana, Vedavyasa doesn't ultimately 
agree.  One can imagine a period of controversy and debate in the Vedantic 
world where some views were accepted as siddhanta and some repudiated 
and finally Vedavyasa put it altogether in polished form.

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>