How Ganesha was Vyasa's scribe

Vyasa composed the Mahabharata in his mind for three whole years and having composed the poem, he wanted a way to give it to all the world. He prayed to Brahma for some one to take down the poem as he dictated it.

Brahma suggested that Vyasa ask Ganesha, the elephant-headed god . Ganesha agreed to take down the poet's dictation subject to a condition. ``My pen should never stop,'' he told Vyasa, ``if you pause or hesitate, I will write no longer.'' Vyasa agreed, but being an intelligent man and the son of the great sage Parasara , he countered Ganesha's condition with one of his own. ``You must not write down anything unless you understand it completely,'' he told Ganesha. Ganesha agreed and they began.

Vyasa would occasionally compose some very complicated stanzas and while Ganesha paused to think them over, Vyasa would compose more stanzas in his mind. Thus, was the Mahabharata composed by Vyasa and taken down by Ganesha.