Suta said: ‘Having spoken thus and being approved by his counselors, the illustrious king, descendant of Parikshit, then rose to the vow for the snake sacrifice, O brahmin, tiger among the Bharatas. Having summoned the purohita-priest, the lord of the earth, skilled in speech, spoke a word leading to his purpose: “That villain Takshaka, who destroyed my father — how shall I repay him? Tell me that. Is that deed known to you, by which I shall overtake the serpent Takshaka together with his kin in the blazing fire? As my father was formerly burned by him with the fire of poison, so I too wish to burn that sinful serpent.” The priests said: “There is, O king, a great sacrifice, sent down for you by the gods, called the snake sacrifice; it is spoken of in the Purana, O king. The performer of that sacrifice is you, none other, O lord of men; so say the knowers of the Puranas, and we possess that rite.” Suta said: “Thus addressed, the royal sage already considered the serpent Takshaka as if having entered the blazing mouth of the fire, O most noble one. Then the king said to those brahmins, the knowers of mantras: ‘I shall perform that sacrifice; let the supplies be gathered for me.’ And his priests, O most noble twice-born, measured out that place for the sacrificial sanctuary according to the scriptures, all knowing it with their intellect, having attained the highest. Having duly arranged the desired sacrificial hall, endowed with the highest abundance, crowded with a multitude of twice-born, rich with abundant wealth and grain, well arranged by the priests — they consecrated the king for the performance of the snake sacrifice.’