As the tale unfolds, a voice addressed me, saying, “Surely you are the son of Pramati. I am Ruru, a serpent. Listen to my supreme words.” Ruru then spoke of the highest dharma for Brahmins: “Nonviolence is the greatest duty for a Brahmin—there is no doubt. The wise Brahmin must show compassion everywhere. Except in sacrifice, O best of Brahmins, violence is never proper for one of your order.” Sūta, the storyteller, explained that, freed from his serpent birth, that Brahmin became Ruru again. With the curse ended and violence abandoned, he married the girl he loved, who had once died but was restored to life. Yet, recalling the slaughter of serpents and the enmity that had arisen, it was noted that Ruru had abandoned all hatred and now lived peacefully among the serpents. Without anger toward those who had killed his own father, Ruru accepted his fate; his father had died in the sky, deprived of ritual bathing and funeral gifts. Sūta continued, “O King, you must perform the rescue for your ancestor by killing the serpents. He did not know his father’s enmity, for his father died while still alive. Your father’s misfortune will remain until you destroy them. Therefore, perform the sacrifice to Ambā, the supreme goddess, O best of kings. Remembering your father’s enmity, conduct the serpent sacrifice.” Hearing these words, King Janamejaya was overcome with emotion. Tears streamed from his eyes as he lamented, “Shame on me, with such poor judgment, who acted in vain. My father has met a terrible fate, afflicted by serpents. Today I will begin the sacrifice and make amends to my father.” Determined, he resolved, “I will kill the serpents without doubt, as the fire blazes.” He summoned his ministers and commanded, “Let the best among you prepare the sacrificial materials as is proper. Mark out a pure land on the bank of the Ganges with the foremost Brahmins. Build a splendid pavilion with a hundred pillars, arranged in good order. Prepare the altar for the sacrifice today.” He declared, “A vast serpent sacrifice must be arranged. Takṣaka will be the sacrificial animal, and the great sage Uttanka shall be the chief priest. Quickly summon the Brahmins, all-knowing and versed in the Vedas.” Sūta recounted how the wise ministers followed the king’s commands, preparing all the materials and the grand altar for the sacrifice. As the rituals began, Takṣaka, chief among serpents, fled in terror. He ran to Indra and pleaded, “Save me!” Indra comforted the terrified serpent, seated him on his own throne, and assured him, “Be fearless, serpent.” Knowing Takṣaka had taken refuge with Indra, the sage granted him full assurance of safety. But Uttanka, disturbed by Takṣaka’s escape, summoned Indra and invited him to the sacrifice. At that moment, Takṣaka remembered a wandering sage from the lineage of Yāyāvara. A righteous sage named Āstīka, son of Jaratkāru, devoted to dharma, appeared at the sacrifice. The boy praised King Janamejaya, who, seeing the learned youth, honored him and invited him to request any boon he wished. That blessed sage requested, “Let this great sacrifice cease.” Bound by his word, the king was again entreated by Āstīka. At the sage’s insistence, the king stopped the offering of serpents, and Vaiśampāyana recited the Bhārata in detail. Yet, even after hearing it, King Janamejaya did not find the peace he sought. He turned to Vyāsa and asked, “How can I find tranquility? My mind burns with desire. My unfortunate father was killed by the son of Parikṣit. For kṣatriyas, death in battle is best—whether in combat or at home, according to destiny. But my father did not die in battle; he perished helplessly in the sky. O son of Satyavatī, tell me the means for his peace. How can my father, who has suffered misfortune, quickly attain heaven?” Sūta continued: Hearing these words, Vyāsa, the son of Satyavatī, spoke to the king in that assembly. Vyāsa said, “Hear, O king, I will tell you the ancient, secret, and wondrous Purāṇa called the Bhāgavata. It is filled with many stories and brings auspiciousness. I previously taught it to my son Śuka; now, O king, I will recite to you my supreme secret. By hearing it, one attains the goals of dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa; it always brings happiness and draws from all the scriptures.” Janamejaya then asked, “Whose son is this Āstīka, and for what purpose did he come to obstruct the sacrifice? What was his intention in protecting the serpents, O lord? Tell me this story in detail, and also narrate the entire Purāṇa at length, O virtuous one.” Vyāsa replied, “The sage Jaratkāru, a peaceful soul, did not enter the householder’s life. In the forest, he saw his ancestors hanging in a pit. They called out to him, ‘O son of Kuru, take a wife for yourself; otherwise, we will not be fully satisfied. If you have a son who follows good conduct, we will go to heaven, freed from sorrow.’ Jaratkāru replied, ‘When I find a wife who is my equal, whom I have sought and who is truly devoted, then I will begin household life. This is my vow, O my elders.’ Having said this, the sage Jaratkāru departed for the holy places. At that very moment, the serpents were cursed by their mother: ‘Let them fall into the fire!’” And so, the story turns to the wives of the sage Kaśyapa, Kadrū and Vinatā, who saw the horse on the chariot of the Sun and began to speak to each other, setting in motion the next chapter of this ancient tale.