The Battlefield of Kurukshetra

Veda Vyasa's legendary epic on the Bharata race was first recited in public by his disciple Vaishampayana at the behest of the ageless seer Vyasa himself. The recital took place in the noble presence of King Janamejaya, the great grandson of Vyasa, and the many learned sages who had gathered for Janamejaya's sarpa satra (a 12-year long yajna).

Earlier volumes of the Mahabharata featured a series of events including the growing animosity between the Kauravas and the Pandavas as well as the costly game of dice which led to the banishment of the Pandavas for thirteen years. The adventures during the exile and the proposal for peace from Dhritarashtra conveyed by Sanjaya to the Pandavas were also narrated.