The story as I know it is as follows:linguoboy wrote:All depends how they do it.
Sage Vyasa said to Lord Ganesha, "Can you write down the Mahabharata for me while I dictate it to you?"
Ganesha said, "Yes, but I write very fast, so you have to dictate as fast as I write, and I won't stop until the end. If you pause in the middle, then I'll stop writing, and your story will remain incomplete. Do you agree to my conditions?"
Vyasa said, "Yes, but only if you always make sure to understand what I dictate to you before writing it down."
Ganesha agreed. His older brother warned Vyasa that Ganesha writes and thinks faster than we speak (I believe "we" refers to both humans and deities. I'm kind of forgetting the part about how fast exactly he said Ganesha thinks). Vyasa said, "I know. That's why I need his help."
They went to Sage Vyasa's home together, sat down, and started writing and dictating. Several days passed by, but Ganesha was writing so fast Vyasa couldn't even stop to catch his breath. Weeks and months passed by. Then suddenly, Vyasa remembered his own condition and composed a difficult sloka. Ganesha had to pause for a moment to think about what it meant, and Vyasa felt relieved that he could finally get a bit of rest. However, the very next moment, Ganesha started writing again. This went on for even more weeks (or months?) until they reached the end. Ganesha said, "Your story is interesting, and you tell it very skillfully, but there are a few parts here and there that are difficult to understand." Vyasa said, "You know why those parts are there!"