who wrote Bhagavad Gita/Mahabharata?

Question

If we google this question we get Sage Vyasa as answer and that what I have learned growing up. But Shri Krishna gave this knowledge to Arjuna only, and there so on one else there who was writing that down. Sanjay was only relaying the information to Dritharashtra. Sage Vyasa was not anywhere near Kurukshetra then how would he knew exact words of Lord Krishna and wrote that down?

Like in Ramayana, Sage Valmiki had boon of seeing everything that was going to happen and he wrote it down and this was also mentioned in Ramayana.

Also when was it written, after it all happened or before (like in Ramayana)?

Answer 1

Vyasa did not need to be anywhere near Kurukshetra to know what was going on. Because Sanjaya who could hear the discourse of Lord Krishna and Arjuna could do so due to the boon given to him by Vyasa himself (as per vyasa prasadata srutavan... Gita verse). So if Vyasa could grant others boon to hear the distant events, can't he himself know them!

Regarding the composition of Mahabharata, it happened in many stages as the totality of Mahabharata was not composed right away. However, it should be known that the Veda, Purana, Itihasa etc. are only made available to this world at certain point, they are eternally there and originate from the breath of the Lord at the time of creation (reference for it can be found in many scriptures). The Mahabharata was made available to the general public many years after the events of Mahabharata war when Janmenjaya, the great grand son of Arjuna, performed the snake sacrifice. During the sacrifice a disciple of Vyasa named Vaisampayana narrated it to the audience gathered there. More details can be found in the first chapter of Mahabharata.