What happens in this skandha

At Naimisharanya the sages ask Suta for the one story that serves every seeker, and he begins with how it came to be written: Vyasa, unsatisfied after composing so much, is told by Narada that he has not yet sung of the Lord's own deeds. The book then follows the Pandavas after the war — Kunti's prayer, Bhishma's passing, Parikshit saved in the womb — until Parikshit, cursed to die in seven days, sits by the Ganga and Shuka comes.

Episodes in this skandha

• The sages' questions at Naimisharanya — Skandha 1, adhyayas 1-3 — Gathered for a thousand-year sacrifice, the sages ask Suta one question: what is the single good that serves everyone?
• Vyasa's unrest and Narada's story — Skandha 1, adhyayas 4-6 — The man who divided the Vedas and wrote the Mahabharata sits by the Sarasvati unsatisfied, until Narada tells him why.
• Kunti asks for calamities — Skandha 1, adhyaya 8 — As Krishna's chariot turns for Dvaraka, his aunt stops it and asks for something no one asks for: more trouble.
• Parikshit meets Kali — Skandha 1, adhyayas 16-17 — A bull on one leg, a weeping cow, and a man dressed as a king beating them both: the Kali age arrives in Parikshit's realm.
• The curse, and Shuka's arrival — Skandha 1, adhyayas 18-19 — One impulsive act, a boy's curse of death in seven days, and a king who chooses to spend them listening by the Ganga.

Continue through the Bhagavatam

• Dvitiya Skandha — Skandha 2 — Shuka's first answer to a man with seven days: fix the mind on the Lord, and here is the shape of everything He holds.