2.The begining

As SAUTI , later whose narration came to be  known to be called as mahabharat  (the actual work of vyas was named as bharat) had just returned from the snake sacrifice of king JANAMEJAYA the son of Parikshit , he was asked by the sages who had just returned from the 12 years of sacrifice organised by saunaka to narrate the whole story of the epic bharata as he heard it from the disciple of sage vyasa , vasampayana, he started to narrate  the great epic as he had heard it . On being asked the reason of the snake sacrifice being organised by the king he told them how the father of the king  parikshit lost his life being bitten by a gigantic serpent named takshaka .Although his father being a very wise man had been cursed by a young sage (sringin) ,the son of a sage who had been insulted by  the king while observing the wow of silence he did not answer to the king and the king placed a dead serpent onto his shoulder.Outraged by the insult that the king did to his father sringin cursed parikshit that as he insulted his father by placing a dead serpent so he would be bitten by the serpent .When his father came to know about his son cursing the king he told him that being a sage he should keep his cool but as he could not take his curse back so the sage sent his disciple to the king to inform the king about the curse but everything did by the king to save himself was ruined . As Janamejaya considered takshak to be the main cause of his father's death he organised the snake sacrifice which was later stopped by the son of sage Jaratkaru who had a wife of same name as he had who was the sister of the king of serpents named vasuki , ASTIKA . And when asked to ask for a boon for saving the serpents race he said whomsoever takes my name or shall hear this story of me shall not be bitten by snakes and he was granted the boon.The main reason behind the sacrifice of the serpents was actually the curse that they got from their mother Kadru who was displeased by them by not obeying her that they would all die during the great snake sacrifice done by king Janamejaya and as Bramha told that some of them would be cured of this curse only by the son of sage Jaratkaru who would have the same wife of his own name i.e astika. The other stories which come in between are the stories of birth of GARUNA the mightiest of all the birds which is also the vehicle of lord Vishnu and his brother aruna . There comes also the story of some of the sages like aruni,upamanyu,veda etc . But we rush through them directly to the story of mahabharat. This story is actually recited by Vaisampayana on being ordered to do so by his master ved vyasa to parikshit's son Janamejaya.