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.

"[5] Vyasa is commonly known as "Vedavyasa" (Sanskrit: वेदव्यास, Vedavyāsa) as he divided the single, eternal Veda into four separate books—Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda.

Hindus traditionally hold that Vyasa subcategorized the primordial single Veda to produce four parts as a canonical collection.

The Vishṇu Puraṇa (Book 3, Ch 3) says: In every third world age (Dvāpara), Vishnu, in the person of Vyāsa, in order to promote the good of mankind, divides the Veda, which is properly but one, into many portions.

Observing the limited perseverance, energy and application of mortals, he makes the Veda fourfold, to adapt it to their capacities; and the bodily form which he assumes, in order to effect that classification, is known by the name of Vedavyāsa.

[10]According to the Vishṇu Purāṇa, Aśwatthāmā, the son of Droṇa, will become the next sage (Vyāsa) and will divide the Veda in 29th Mahā Yuga of 7th Manvantara.

These five protagonists are the surrogate sons of Pānḍu, sired by various gods on behalf of this Kuru king whom Vyāsa himself fathered 'under Niyoga practice' in place of an elder brother who died heirless, at the behest of his mother Satyavati.

[15][16] Vyāsa's Jaya (literally, "victory"), the core of the Mahābhārata, is a dialogue between Dhritarāshtra (the Kuru king and the father of the Kauravas, who opposed the Pāṇḍavas in the Kurukshetra War) and Sanjaya, his adviser and charioteer.

Dhritarashtra at times asks questions and expresses doubts, sometimes lamenting, fearing the destruction the war would bring on his family, friends and kin.

[17] The Gita, dated to the second half of the first millennium BCE, in its own right is one of the most influential philosophico-religious dialogues, producing numerous commentaries and a global audience.

Like the "Jaya", it is also a dialogue, in which Paṇḍava Prince Arjuna's hesitation to attack his cousins is counseled from 'the perspective of the gods' by his charioteer, revealed to be an avatar of Vishnu.

[19] The Bhagavad Gita has been highly praised, not only by prominent Indians including Mahatma Gandhi and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan,[20] but also by Aldous Huxley, Henry David Thoreau, J. Robert Oppenheimer,[21] Ralph Waldo Emerson, Carl Jung, Hermann Hesse,[22][23] and Bülent Ecevit.

[24] In the Mahābhārata, large and elaborate lists are given, describing hundreds of kingdoms, tribes, provinces, cities, towns, villages, rivers, mountains, forests, etc.

Additionally, he gives descriptions of the military formations adopted by each side on each day, the death of individual heroes and the details of the war-races.

[26][27] According to the Mahabharata, Vyasa's mother, Satyavati, was raised as the daughter of a fisherman, belonging to a clan that used to ferry people across the river Yamuna.

However, Parasara used his divine powers to create an artificial fog around the boat and transformed her natural scent into the fragrance of musk.

He prophesied that the son born to her would be an extraordinary being—a partial incarnation of Vishnu, a man of immense wisdom, and a revered teacher who would divide the Vedas and be honored across the three worlds.

Satyavati revealed her secret past and requested him to bring her firstborn to impregnate the widows under a tradition called Niyoga.

After two years of pregnancy, Gandhari aborted her developing fetus, giving birth to a hard mass that looked like an iron ball.

He played a decisive role in facilitating Draupadi’s marriage to the five Pandavas, thereby shaping an alliance that had significant implications in the unfolding events.

Vyasa also played a central role in the Rajasuya sacrifice performed by Yudhishthira, overseeing its arrangements and predicting the future course of events.

He played a crucial role in post-war reconciliation, using his spiritual power to bring forth the spirits of those who had perished, allowing Dhritarashtra and others to witness them.

Vyasa was desiring an heir, when an apsara (celestial damsel) named Ghritachi flew in front of him in the form of a beautiful parrot, causing him sexual arousal.

Adi Shankara, who was supposed to die at the end of his sixteenth year, expresses his desire to leave his body in the presence of Vyāsa.

[36][37] In Brahm Avtar, one of the compositions in Dasam Granth, Guru Gobind Singh mentions Rishi Vyas as an avatar of Brahma.

Guru Gobind Singh wrote a brief account of Rishi Vyas's compositions about great kings—Manu, Prithu, Bharath, Jujat, Ben, Mandata, Dilip, Raghu Raj and Aj[38][39]—and attributed to him the store of Vedic learning.

[40] The Sapta Chiranjivi Stotram states that the remembrance of the eight immortals (Ashwatthama, Mahabali, Vyasa, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Kripa, Parashurama, and Markandeya) offers one freedom from ailments and longevity.