ABSTRACT
The Mahbhrata describes Ugraravas’s visit to aunaka’s ritual satra in naimia Forest.1 Ugraravas tells aunaka about the royal Bhrata patriline. Ugraravas’s narration focuses on king Janamejaya Bhrata’s sarpasatra (snake sacrifice, snake session), during which Janamejaya heard, from Vysa’s pupil Vaiapyana, the tale Vysa had compiled about the Pavas (Janamejaya’s great-grandfather arjuna and his brothers) and their war against their cousins and wider family, the kauravas.2 Ugraravas was at the sarpasatra, where countless snakes were killed to avenge Janamejaya’s father Parikit’s earlier death by snakebite. Ugraravas describes for aunaka the scenario of the sarpasatra, its causes, and how it was abandoned after stka’s intervention; then, at aunaka’s request (1.53:28-36), he relates what Vaiapyana told Janamejaya.