There are millions of beings- plants, trees, animals, insects, birds, humans.

To describe the process of creation for all these is very difficult.

At the beginning of Mahabharata, a small part of this is described as an example of how lineages started.

Surya’s son was Devabhrat.

Devabrat's son was Subhrat.

Subhrat had 3 sons- Dashajyoti, Shatajyoti, and Sahasrajyoti.

Dashajyoti had 10,000 sons.

Shatajyoti had 1 lac sons.

Sahasrajyoti had one million sons.

All the vamshas like Kuru vamsha, Yadu vamsha, Ikshvaku vamsha, they all started from these.

One natural question that comes up is where are all the women?

How can there be a lineage without women?

Today we look at a human being as half father-half mother.

In the earlier stages of creation, this was not the case.

The male was considered as the primary procreator with the beejas or seeds in his possession.

These seeds can germinate in any field, one of them is the female womb.

Seeds can germinate in any appropriate field, not necessarily a female womb.

Asexual reproduction is known in Biology where reproduction happens without the need for a male-female union.

We all know about cloning also.

So when we say that Sahasrajyoti had one million sons, it is obvious that we are not talking about reproduction through male-female union.

Similar is the question; whether Saraswathy is the daughter of Brahma or patni of Brahma?

You have to think out of the box, meaning don’t think about all these as only we see it today.

There are many other possibilities.

That is what we should understand.

As Vyasa Maharshi was meditating, all these flashed through his mind; how it all came into existence, how all the vamshas came into existence, all the beings, movables, immovables, the Vedas, secrets of the purusharthas, all the shastras, all the advices, even Yoga-shastra, Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, all kinds of knowledge.

He saw all these inside while he was meditating.

And he put down all these in Mahabharata.

That is why consider Mahabharata as a complete scripture.

It is not about one thing, it is about everything.

There are several traditions connected to Mahabharata.

Someone would say Mahabharata starts with-नारायणं नमस्कृत्य.

Someone would say it starts from Astika Parva

Whatever it is, Mahabharata is the result of Vyasa Maharshi's tapas and brahmacharya.

After he conceived Mahabharata, Vyasa started wondering; how am I going to propagate this among people?

At that time Brahmadeva came to Vyasashrama.

Vyasa Maharshi told Brhamadeva:

I have seen the principles of Vedas and all shastras, principles of all
Vedangas, Upanishads, they have all been understood by me.

Historic incidents, Puranas, I have understood everything from a refined and pure perspective.

I have understood what is time.

I have understood whether old age, diseases, death, fear- they are all for real or not.

All dharmas including varnashrama dharma are clear to me.

Astronomy, Cosmic Chronology, everything I have seen and known.

Justice, Education, Medicine, vratas, reason for taking birth as a human or an animal or a bird, reason for becoming a Deva, everything I know now.

I know all about holy tirthas, mountains, rivers, seas, forests, everything.

Battle Science, Architecture, everything I have seen and conceived within myself.

But who can ever write all this down?

Unless these are all written down and propagated, they will only remain within me.

They can not be used for the welfare of the world.

Vyasa Maharshi told this to Brahma deva.