Was Rishi Vyasa the great grandson of Rishi Vashishtha?

Question

The wiki articles on the following 4 Rishis says that: Rishi Shakti was the son of Rishi Vashishtha (to whom the text Yoga Vashishtha - a conversation between him and Shri Rama is ascribed), Shakti's son was Rishi Parashara (who wrote the Jyotisha text Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra) who was the father of Rishi Vyasa (who wrote the Mahabharata).

This implies that Rishi Vyasa the great grandson of Rishi Vashishtha. The articles do not provide any references. Is this lineage recorded in the scriptures?

Answer 1

There is a verse Attributed to Great Sage Vyasa which goes like this

vyAsam vasishta-naptAram Sakteh pautram akalmasham

parAsarAtmajam vande Suka-tAtam tapo-nidhim.

Which means

vyAsa is the Great-Grandson of vasishta and the grandson of Sakti. He is the son of parAsara and the father of Suka. I offer my obeisance to that vyAsa who is free from all defects and is a mine of austerities.

Source

Adi parva of Mahabharata about Vyasa's Birth

And it was thus that Vyasa was born of Satyavati through Parasara. And because he was born on an island, he was called Dwaipayana (Dwaipa or islandborn). And the learned Dwaipayana, beholding that virtue is destined to become lame by one leg each yuga (she having four legs in all) and that the period of life and the strength of men followed the yugas, and moved by the desire of obtaining the favour of Brahman and the Brahmanas, arranged the Vedas. And for this, he came to be called Vyasa (the arranger or compiler)

Adi Parva of Mahabharata

About Parashara

Vasishtha did not restrain him from this slaughter of the Rakshasa, from the determination of not obstructing this second vow (of his grandson). And in that sacrifice, the great Muni Parasara sat before three blazing fires, himself like unto a fourth fire. And the son of Saktri, like the Sun just emerging from the clouds, illuminated the whole firmament by that stainless sacrifice of his into which large were the libations poured of clarified butter.

Chaitraratha Parva of Mahabharata for Parashara. Murder of Shakti Maharishi

So Vyasa is Great-Grand-Son of Rishi Vasishta who in turn is Son of Brahma.

By the way,

Vasistha, Shakti, Parashara and Krishna Dwaipayana are Vyasas for 8th, 25th, 26th and 28th Mahayuga of Vaivasvara (current) Manvantara respectively.

Chapter 24 of Linga Purana.(Pg No-90)

Answer 2

This is mentioned in several Puranas and also in Mahabharat. I give reference from Mahabharat here:

The Adi Parva of Mahabharat mentions Shakti as son of Vasistha during the fight of Vishwamitra and Vasistha:

Mahabharat 1.178

"The great Viswamitra, endued with energy, had, a little while ago, desired to make that monarch his disciple. As the monarch, afflicted with hunger and thirst, was proceeding through the woods, he came across that best of Rishis, the illustrious son of Vasishtha, coming along the same path. The king ever victorious in battle saw that Muni bearing the name of Sakti, that illustrious propagator of Vasishtha's race, the eldest of the high-souled Vasishtha's hundred sons, coming along from opposite direction. The king, beholding him said, 'Stand out of our way.'

And here

The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Adivansavatarana Parva: Section LX

'Sauti said, 'Hearing that Janamejaya was installed in the snake-sacrifice, the learned Rishi Krishna-Dwaipayana went thither on the occasion. And he, the grandfather of the Pandavas, was born on an island of the Yamuna, of the virgin Kali by Sakti's son, Parasara.

Thus, it is evident from above that. Son of Vasistha is Shakti, Son of Shakti is Parasara and Son of Parasara is Krishna-Dwaipayana(Veda Vyas)

Answer 3

Yes. Bhishma said that Vyasa is fourth in descent from Vashishta.

https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m13/m13a024.htm

"Bhishma said, 'Formerly, O monarch, I had one day requested Vyasa to explain to me this very subject. I shall now narrate to thee what Vyasa told me on that occasion. Do thou listen to it with undivided attention. Repairing to the presence of Vyasa, I addressed him, saying,--Thou, O great ascetic, art the fourth in descent from Vasishtha. Do thou explain to me this.