After the deaths of Yudhishthira and his brothers, Parikshit became emperor of Bharatvarsha, ruling from Indraprastha–Delhi around 3000 BCE. He was later assassinated by the king of Takshila in present-day Afghanistan, whose royal emblem was the serpent Takshaka. Parikshit’s son, Janamejaya, took revenge by destroying the Naga–Takshaka clans across India and as far as Persia — an event remembered as the Sarpamedha Yajna.

A pact was eventually reached with the Takshaka rulers of the northwest. During the great ritual, Janamejaya offered oblations to the Vedic Devatas using the Atharva Veda. On that occasion, the sage Vyasa instructed his disciple Vaishampayana to recount the story of the Kurukshetra war and related tales before Janamejaya, the assembled Brahmanas, and the people.

This narration gained the status of Itihasa–Purana and became widely revered. It was later retold by the respected storyteller Sauti at the conclusion of a twelve-year yajna led by Kulapati Shaunaka, ultimately expanding to 100,000 verses.