The Sacrifice a Promise Finally Stopped

The Mahabharata tells of a king named Parikshit, a descendant of the Pandavas who ruled after the great war at Kurukshetra had ended. Parikshit died from the bite of Takshaka, the king of serpents, struck down by a curse placed upon him by a sage's angry son. His death left his son, Janamejaya, filled with grief and rage against every serpent alive.

Janamejaya resolved to wipe out the whole race of Nagas from the earth, as revenge for his father's death. He set up a vast fire sacrifice known as the Sarpa Satra, the serpent sacrifice. He called upon powerful sages, and used sacred mantras with awful force. The fire itself grew so strong that it began pulling serpents toward it from every direction. It drew them in from across the world, and even from the heavens, where some had tried to hide.