Is it true that Ganesh wrote Mahabharata while Sage Vyasa dictated it?

 

We have to consider certain aspects before answering the question.

a) During Vedic period we do not find mention about Ganapati. The popular mantra that was attributed and recited regularly by many Hindus in adoration of Ganapati is as follows:

गणानां त्वा गणपतिग्ं हवामहे कविं कवीनामुपमश्रवस्तमम्।
ज्येष्ठराजं ब्रह्मणां ब्रह्मणस्पत आ नः शृण्वन्नूतिभिः सीद सादनम्॥ Rig Veda (2.23.1)

However, it was attributable to Brihaspati, the Divine Guru of Devas, but not to Ganapati.

b) In Ramayana, we find the adoration of Kaartikeya (Subrahmanya) but not Ganapati.

c) Except in the opening chapters of Mahabharata, we will not find Ganapati elsewhere. Even in Bhagawad Gita, which is a part of Mahabharata, we do not find mention about either Shakti or Ganapati.

d) It is only in Puranas, which are relatively young, that we find th stories of Ganapati.

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With this background, I will try to answer the question.

The original Mahabharata was written by Sage Vyasa contains only 8,800 Slokas with the title “JAYA”. It was expanded to 24,000 slokas, perhaps, by his disciple Vaisampayana with the title “BHARATA”. It was further expanded to 1,00,000 slokas by some other scholar with the title “MAHABHARATA”.

The original JAYA story is brief account of Kauravas and Pandavas. So the chances of appearing of Sage Vyasa together with Ganapati, in the story, were very remote.

So it must be in the 3 version of original story,ie., MAHABHARATA, that Sage Vyasa together with Ganapati appear in the opening chapters.

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So this episode must be and interpolation, as Ganapati was not mentioned as a God, even in Bhagavad Gita.

So the time taken to write the JAYA by Sage Vyasa must be less than what appears to be.