Janamejaya Asks His Ministers About His Father's Death
King Janamejaya, having ascended the throne, summons his ministers. He demands a complete account of his father Parikshit's life and, most pressingly, the specific story of how he died, so that he may learn from it.
In the court of King Janamejaya, the ministers waited. The king had a question, and it was not a casual one. He wanted to know everything about his father, Parikshit — how he had lived, and precisely how he had died.
Janamejaya spoke directly. “You know all that happened to my father and how my greatly illustrious father came about his death. When I have heard all about my father in complete detail from you, I shall learn all that is good and not that which is evil.”
The request was a command. The king was not seeking empty praise; he was seeking instruction. To rule well, he needed to understand the arc of his predecessor’s life, especially its end.
The virtuous and wise ministers replied. They began with a glowing account of Parikshit’s reign. He was devoted to dharma (righteousness), great-souled, a protector of his subjects. Under his rule, the four varnas (social orders) were established in their own dharmas, and the king, himself well-versed in dharma, protected them according to its dictates. He protected the earth with infinite might, hated no one, and was hated by none. Like Prajapati (the creator) himself, he treated all beings impartially. He maintained widows, orphans, the disabled, and the poor. He was handsome, like another moon to all creatures. Through that truthful and powerful king, everyone was content.
They listed his accomplishments: a student of the great warrior Sharadvata in the science of weapons, beloved by Govinda (Krishna), famous and loved by all the worlds. He was born in Uttara’s womb when the Kuru lineage was almost destroyed after the great war, and so was named Parikshit. He was learned in the royal norms of dharma and artha (statecraft), in control of his senses, intelligent, and served by the wise. He had conquered the six vices. He protected his subjects for sixty years.
Then they delivered the conclusion. “His end was preordained, through a snake, and it couldn’t be avoided.” They assured Janamejaya that after this preordained end, he had lawfully ascended the ancestral kingdom and would rule for a thousand years.
Janamejaya listened. But the summary was not enough. “In our lineage,” he said, “no king has ever been born who did not look after the welfare of his subjects and please them. Consider especially the conduct of my grandfathers, who were always devoted to a great life. How did my father, who was like them, come to his end? Describe it accurately to me. I wish to hear it.”
The ministers had given the eulogy. Now the king demanded the story.