Introduction
Parikshit is the son of Abhimanyu and Uttara, and the grandson of Arjuna. He is the heir of the Pandava line after the war.
This article primarily follows the Mahabharata. Where a well-known detail comes from a Puranic or later source, the article identifies it.
Family
- Father: Abhimanyu
- Mother: Uttara
- Son: Janamejaya
Birth
Ashwatthama used the Brahmastra on the unborn child of Uttara, to end the Pandava line. Parikshit was born dead, and was revived by Krishna.
King
Yudhishthira handed over the kingdom to Parikshit and left for the Himalayas. Parikshit ruled well for years.
Death
According to the Adi Parva, a sage's son cursed Parikshit to die from a snakebite, after the king put a dead snake on the neck of a meditating sage. He was killed by the Naga king Takshaka. His son Janamejaya later performed the snake sacrifice.
In the Bhagavata Purana
In the Bhagavata Purana, Parikshit is the person to whom the sage Shuka recites the whole text over the last week of his life.