श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः हरिः ॐ
श्रीमदानन्दतीर्थभगवत्पादाचार्यगुरुभ्यो नमः हरिः ॐ
श्री वेदव्यासाय नमः
The Supreme Being Narayana incarnated as Shri Vedavyasa in order to provide knowledge about the Highest and other tattvas, so that even people without access to the Vedas can do their sAdhana to get Moksha. In addition to compiling the vedas including lost branches, segregating them to different but humanely maintainable branches, Shri Vedavyasa composed brahmasutras, Mahabharata, Puranas and compiled a shorter tract of Brahmatarka. He also instituted a shishya-paramparA to ensure maintenance and propagation of these texts across seekers of all categories (deva, rishi, manushya). Shrimad Anandatirtha Bhagavatpadacharya has elucidated this in MBTN 10th chapter along with a beautiful recitable description of Shri Vedavyasa’s form (see MBTN 10.51 to 55).
Apart from Shri Vedavyasa’s jnAna-kArya (दत्त_व्यासादि_रूपेषु ज्ञानकार्यस्तथा प्रभुः), there are some extraordinary events that demonstrate Shri Vedavyasa’s identity as the Supreme Being. He coronates an insect as a chakravarti and gets it to run an entire kingdom. This too is well known.
Another such event, a very heart warming one, is narrated in Ashramavaasikaa parva (15th book, 41st chapter in BORI edition) of Mahabharata, and in MBTN 31st chapter. The details are as follows:
16 years after the war, Pandavas have finished their mega-ashvamedha yajna, Dhritarashtra has been nudged, not very gently by Bhimasena, to compensate for his sin of favoring the evil Duryodhana and his brothers. Dhritarashtra, Gandhari and Kunti retire to the forest to increase their austerities. One of those years, Shri Vedavyasa and other Pandavas visit them.
When Shri Vedavyasa declares that he will fulfill their wishes and asks them to state their wishes, Kunti requests that her sin of being unfair to Karna, both in birth and death, be nullified. Shri Vedavyasa clarifies to Kunti that she does not have a sin, as her act was done out of innocence. (Interestingly, in this section, he mentions the svarUpas of different characters, and mentions that Ashwatthama is Rudra’s incarnation - द्रोणं बृहस्पतेर्भागं विद्धि द्रौणिं च रुद्रजं a fact not accepted by some non-maadhvas).
When Dhritarashtra and Kunti express extreme grief at absence of sons and wish to see the entire army again, Shri Vedavyasa asks them to proceed towards Ganga and meet the deceased army. As promised, the Supreme Lord brings forth the entire army on both sides - including Bhishma, Drona, Duryodhana, Karna, Abhimanyu, Ghatotkacha, Upa-pandavas, Drupada, Virata etc. - from Ganga. Dhritarashtra’s sight (and therefore Gandhari’s) is restored. The whole army spends the entire night with their near and dear. As the morning arrives, they submerge in Ganga to return to their respective places. All widows except Uttaraa accompany their husbands now.
Mahabharata adds more details:
The warriors on both sides come out of the river with radiating bodies. Some of them, though had already taken birth, were able to appear here. (तच्छ्रुत्वा नरदेवानां पुनरागमनं नरा जहृषुर्मुदिताः चासन्न् अन्यदेहगता अपि). They are all in different lokas - devaloka, brahmaloka, varuna loka, some are in pishachis and raakshasa lokas.
The warriors are resurrected in their full glory; with their chariots, their flags, their ornaments.
They are now devoid of any rancor or hatred. They spend the entire night without any fear or any sadness.
Pandavas have friendly interactions with Karna now.
Everyone’s wishes (not just Dhritarashtra etc.) were fulfilled then.
When Janamejaya asks how they can return with the same bodies, Vaishampayana answers that they still had their karmas (pending), that allowed them to take the same (rather similar) bodies.
Whoever recites or listens to this event will have, effortlessly, his desires fulfilled, will be well connected with his own near and dear, both here and in later births. If a person endowed with good svAdhyAya (learning), good conduct (AchAra) and adhyaatma, listens to this event, he or she will get to Moksha.
This ‘phala-stuti’ is immediately materialized by Janamejaya himself, who seeks to see his late father. Shri Vedavyasa gets him to meet Parikshit, Shamika and Shringi!
It is important to note that this mega-scale resurrection of both sentient beings and insentient chariots, ornaments - is not possible for a simple yogi. Many yogis like Shri Vijayadasa or Shri Raghavendra Swamy have helped a person or two come back from death, but that’s when the body is still available. In case of Chitraketu’s son too, even if the body was available there was no memory. In Nachiketas’ case, even if it is accepted that he got a new body, it is just one (and done by Yama himself). All this - a mini creation as it was (धाता यथापूर्वं अकल्पयत्) is possible only for the Supreme Being or as Kunti puts it, devAtidevaH
All glories to Shri Vedavyasa!
श्री मध्वेशकृष्णार्पणमस्तु