Ganesha writes the Mahabharata

1. 1Brahma, the creator god, praises the sage Vyasa in front of many holy sages. He says Vyasa's great poem will have no equal, just as the householder's stage of life is valued above the other stages. He tells Vyasa to call on Ganesha to write it down.
2. 2Sauti, the storyteller, says that after Brahma left, Vyasa thought of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god who removes obstacles. Ganesha came at once. Vyasa greeted him and asked him to write down the story of the Bharatas as Vyasa recited it.
3. 3Ganesha agrees to write, but only if Vyasa never makes his pen stop. Vyasa adds his own condition: Ganesha must understand every verse before he writes it. Ganesha says 'Om' to agree. Vyasa then sometimes made verses very tricky on purpose, so he had time to think while Ganesha worked them out.
4. 4Sauti says there are 8,800 extra-difficult verses that only he, Suka (Vyasa's son), and maybe Sanjaya truly know. Even all-knowing Ganesha had to pause to understand them. While Ganesha thought, Vyasa composed many more verses.