Mahabharata opens with king Janamejaya performing Sarpa yagna (The snake sacrifice), to avenge the death of his father king Parikshit who was killed by the snake-king Takshaka with the ultimate aim of destroying all snakes on earth. Why did king Parikshit got killed by the snake-king Takshaka? Years ago, King Parikshit, was hunting in the forest. Tired and thirsty, he came upon a sage deep in meditation. Parikshit entreated him several times to give him some water, but the sage remained oblivious. Feeling insulted influenced by Kali, Parikshit wrapped a dead snake around the sage to insult him in turn. Just then, the son of the sage entered the scene and was enraged at the defiling of his father’s body. He cursed Parikshit that he would die of snakebite within 10 days.

As the yagna progressed, snakes from every corner of the world were dragged from their hiding places and consumed in the sacrificial fire. Just before the ritual could reach its conclusion, the sage Astika arrived and urged Janmejaya to stop. The king agreed, yet the fire of anger within him still lingered.

At that moment, Vaisampayana, the disciple of Rishi Ved Vyasa, entered and began narrating the story of the Mahabharata. Through this telling, Janmejaya came to understand his lineage from the Pandavas and gained a deeper insight into life and its purpose. As the truth of the Mahabharata unfolded before him, his anger gradually faded, and he felt a sense of relief and peace for having halted the yagna.

"Jaya" must be recited after having bowed in obeisance before Nārāyaṇa and also Nara, the supreme human being, and also the goddess Sarasvatī̄.

Bori CE Adi parvam

There, Vaiśampāyana recited properly the wonderful and sacred stories composed by Kṛṣṇā Dvaipāyana