Mahabharata

Image generated using Gemini from the prompt: image of the battlefield in the Mahabharata

Emperor Pareekshit of Hastinapura had gone hunting one day. While chasing a deer, he came across Sage Shamika, who was seated with closed eyes, immersed in deep meditation. The Emperor stood observing the sage for some time before addressing him:

"O Sage, a deer passed this way a while ago. Did you see it?"

The Sage remained silent, absorbed in his meditation. Frustrated by the lack of response, Pareekshit repeated his question, but the sage continued to ignore him. The Emperor's gaze then fell upon a dead snake lying nearby. Irritated by the sage’s indifference, he picked up the snake and draped it around the sage’s neck as a mark of disrespect.

At that moment, Sage Shringi, the son of Sage Shamika, was away from the ashram. However, through his divine vision, he witnessed Emperor Pareekshit’s act. Angered by the insult to his father, Shringi cursed the Emperor:

"Arrogant king, you will die of a snake bite within seven days!"

When Emperor Pareekshit learned of Sage Shringi's curse, he was overcome with regret, yet he knew there was no way to escape his fate. Six days passed without incident. On the seventh day, Takshaka, the king of serpents, took the form of a tiny worm and hid inside a fruit. When the Emperor ate the fruit, the worm entered his body, swiftly transforming into a serpent and killing him within seconds. A sage's curse, it is said, never fails.

The royal family and citizens were drowning in grief, but the kingdom could not remain without a king for long. Thus, Janamejaya, the son of Pareekshit, was coronated as the King of Hastinapura.

To avenge his father's death, he resolved to annihilate the entire serpent clan and, therefore, conducted a snake sacrifice. Hundreds of sages participated in the sacrifice, chanting powerful mantras. Among them was Sage Vaishampayana, a disciple of Maharshi Vedavyasa, the author of the Mahabharata.

As the sacrifice progressed, Janamejaya began posing philosophical and historical questions about his ancestors, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He was particularly curious about the events that had led to the destruction of his lineage and the fall of the Kuru dynasty. At this juncture, Sage Vaishampayana, with Maharshi Vyasa's permission, began narrating the Mahabharata. He recounted the epic as it had been composed by his guru, elaborating on the events leading to the great Kurukshetra War and its aftermath.

One by one, snakes fell into the sacrificial fire and perished. Takshaka, the king of serpents, was about to fall into the fire when Sage Astika intervened and questioned Janamejaya:

"O King, is it just to destroy the entire serpent clan for the actions of one?"

Emperor Janamejaya realized his folly and halted the snake sacrifice. Takshaka's life was spared.

Chapters

Sources

महाभारत (book) by Om Books International
Mahabharat (2013 TV series) by Siddharth Kumar Tewary
www.wisdomlib.org