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SAUTI IN SOUNAK’S ASHRAM

                                                                                                                                                                                  
 Maharshi Sounak had an ashrama in the forest of Naimisha.The learned sage there conducted a yagna which went on  for twelve long years.Quite a few great and learned men of those times accompanied him in that sacred ritual.
  One fine morning, as the day’ s schedule was over , there arrived Sauti, the son of Lomharshan. Sauti had travelled far and wide and had the gift of the gab. He had heard the story of the Mahabharata from Vaishampayan at the Snake-sacrifice ceremony.He even visited Samantapanchak –the place where the fierce battle between the Pandavas and the kauravas was fought. When he came to know about the elite gathering at the asrama he decided to pay a visit.
On his arrival he saw the rishis there.They gathered around him and asked him his whereabouts.
He proposed to offer his art in front of them---that of storytelling—and the saints readily expressed their desire to hear the tales of the Mahabharata composed by Vyasdeva,.  Vaisampayan had recited  those stories in  the Snake-sacrifice ceremony of king Janmejaya where this particular young man,Sauti was present.
Sauti thus began the tale.  
He said----when the world was submerged in total darkness there came into being an egg which contained the seed of life. Lord Brahma emerged from this egg and soon the others followed.Water, the heavens, the earth and the sky,the years and seasons,day and night---everything was created from that egg.In short the entire universe came into being then.
Human kind found its place on earth.
It was the moral duty of saints to teach humankind the art of living and rishi Vyasa performed exactly this duty.He composed the Mahabharata. After having compiled all the verses he began to worry his head out--- who would help him to spread this light of knowledge among his disciples? At that  moment Lord Brahma came to his rescue.He appointed Lord Ganesha as the writer of his book. So Vyasa started his narration and Ganesha took up pen and paper to record the verses.
The word spread soon that an epic has been composed. People became curious. Now Vyasdeva could not be easily persuaded to reveal his creation.
After repeated requests from raja Janmejaya and other brahmanas   Vyasdeva gave permission to his disciple Vaisampayan to recite the Mahabharata in their presence.
       Sauti was present at that snake sacrifice ceremony where the story was narrated.He now passed on this divine knowledge to these group of ascetics.

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