Saved by Krishna in his mother's womb, cursed to die in seven days, he spends the week asking the questions the book answers.
Appears in
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.
The Kali age foretold — Skandha 12, adhyayas 1-3 — Shuka describes an age when wealth decides virtue and a thread decides caste — and names the one great gift it holds.
Parikshit meets Takshaka — Skandha 12, adhyayas 5-6 — On the seventh day Shuka gives his last instruction, the king's fear is gone, and Takshaka arrives to find a man already free.
Embodies
Time and dissolution — Seven days to live, an age in decline, a flood that swallows the worlds — the Bhagavatam is told under a deadline.
Detachment — Kings who walk away from thrones, and one royal sage who renounces everything except a fawn and pays for it with two births.
Questions to explore
Why is Parikshit called Vishnurata, "given by Vishnu"?
Why did Parikshit accept the curse instead of seeking to undo it?
What does Parikshit ask Shuka that a reader should ask too?
