Mahabharata – 64
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
                                            AdiParva
                             The snake sacrifice takes off
Janamejaya was planning a fire sacrifice to kill the snakes.
Practically the whole of the Mahabharata from its beginning is rather
a revenge drama. Janamejaya’s father was killed by a snake. So in a
rage Janamejaya would kill all the snakes in the world. To that end he
would organize a fire sacrifice. Thus fire sacrifice was not always
meant for spiritual well being.They were often organized to satisfy
worldly emotions like anger ,hatred ,spirit of revenge & so on.
The sages must participate in the fire sacrifice. They were Brahamins.
And these  brahamins were appointed by the king so that the king’s
personal enmity against some one was gratified. Thus the Brahamins in
the Mahabharata were not ideal men who hated hatred. They were at the
beck & call of the kings & they did not have value judgment of their
own. One wonders was it righteous to kill all the members of a species
in  Nature to take revenge upon one particular person of the aforesaid
species!
These Brahamins alluded to the Purans where it was said that
Janamejaya alone could perform a fire sacrifice so that the snakes
might be killed.
The prophesy of the Puranas fired up the imagination of Janamejaya. He
felt that the future was in the present. So the arrangements for fire
sacrifice was being done with great excitement & hope.
The scriptures have laid down in great details how the props of the
fire sacrifice should be raised. And Janamejaya’s men meticulously
observed the rules laid down in the scriptures. A vast platform was
raised where countless sages could seat& a big fire could be lit up
where giant snakes could fall & get burnt. We can imagine that such a
platform & altar could compass miles together. The chief architect who
built the stage , the platform the altar said that they were not raised
in propitious time. Hence he had the misgivings that the intended
snake sacrifice might come to a halt abruptly.
Be that as it may the great drama of snake sacrifice was inaugurated.
There were the Brahamins who summoned the gods to be present at the
sacrifice .They were the hotas. When the gods would turn up there were
a group of Brahamins who would sing in praise of the gods assembled at
the call of the hotas. They were the udgathas. Once the gods were
entertained with songs another group of Brahamins  would offer food &
drinks to the gods.They would be present at the sacrifice. They were
the adhvaryus. And the person who would supervise all these functions
of a sacrifice was the Brahma. At Janamejaya snake sacrifice
Chandabhargava from Chyvana race was the hota. The learned old Kautsa
became the udgatha.Pingala was the adhvaryu. Jaimini & Svarnagarbha
were Brahma.Besides, the great sages like.Vyasa with his son and
disciples, and Uddalaka, Pramataka, Swetaketu, & another Pingala,
Asita, Devala, Narada, Parvata, Atreya, Kundajathara, the Brahmanas
Kalaghata, Vatsya, & the old & wise Srutasravas. Kohala Devasarman,
Maudgalya, Samasaurabha, and many other Brahmanas adorned the
sacrifice being present there. There is a symphony of proper names
which is time & again.