Episode 2 Snakes are Burning
In the opening scenes of the Mahabharata, we learn some of the basic structure of the text: who composed the story, who's narrating it, to whom, on what occasion, where. We discover that the Great Epic is encircled by snakes and frightful events that anticipate and reflect situations to follow.
Reading Suggestions
Minkowski, Christopher Z. "Snakes, sattras and the Mahābhārata." Essays on the Mahābhārata (1991): 384-400.
Characters in this episode:
Indra - Chief of the gods
Janamejaya - Direct descendent of the Pandavas, son of Pariksit
Sarama - the dog of the gods
Saunaka - Bhargava brahmin elder, the primary auditor of the text, listening to Ugrasravas
Ugrasravas - Primary narrator, addressing the brahmins in the Naimisa forest
Vaisampayana - Second narrator, paraphrased by Ugrasravas, addressing Arjuna’s great-grandson, Janamejaya
Vyasa - author and composer of the Mahabharata