Kauravas and Pandavas. The opening of the text introduces the illustrious sages gathered at a grand sacrifice in the forest of Naimisha, where they express their desire to hear the sacred recounting of the Mahabharata. The narrator, Sauti, shares his journey of acquiring and retelling the stories of Vyasa, which encompass themes of nobility, struggle, and divine intervention. The characters introduced set the stage for the epic's exploration of life's intricate choices, as well as the consequences of actions in the grand narrative of the battle between righteousness and chaos that unfolds throughout the Mahabharata. This opening portion establishes the rich context and philosophical backdrop that will guide readers through the complexities of the epic tale. (This is an automatically generated summary.)