Mahabharat katha: After the war of Mahabharata, Arjuna's perpetrator King Janmejaya had taken a vow that he would destroy the snakes from the earth. There is a sad and interesting story behind it, which reflects a significant turn of his life.

The main reason for the pledge of King Janmejaya was the death of his father, King Parikshit. King Parikshit once insulted a sage, due to which the sage cursed him that he would die after seven days after the snake bite. This curse became true and died due to the bite of King Parikshit snake.

The act of King Janmejaya and Takshak:

After the death of King Parikshit, his son Janmejaya took a strict vow. He not only decided to avenge his father's murderer snake, but he also decided that he would destroy the entire snakes, so that no one else had to face such sorrow.

Snake Yajna:

King Janmejaya organized a huge yajna (Sarpayagya) to fulfill his vow. In this yagna, he called all the snakes and ordered them to be consumed in the fire. The complexity and power of the yajna was so much that every snake who came before the yajna would have been burnt to ashes.

Rishi Vashist's intervention:

Seeing this destruction, sage Vashistha and other knowledgeable people became moved. He explained to King Janmejaya that complete destruction of snakes cannot be auspicious for anyone. After this, he advised to stop the yagna. Finally, King Janmejaya stopped the yagna and saved other snakes including Takshak.

Pledge of king Janmejaya

The pledge and yajna of King Janmejaya showed that the consequences of any anger or vengeance can always be destructive. This incident also taught that no work should be done without thinking, because its results can be more tragic.

Pledge of king Janmejaya

The pledge and yajna of King Janmejaya showed that the consequences of any anger or vengeance can always be destructive. This incident also taught that no work should be done without thinking, because its results can be more tragic.