Parikshit
Parikshit
Parīkṣit (Sanskrit: परीक्षित्, IAST: Parīkṣit) was a Kuru king who reigned during the Middle Vedic period (12th–9th centuries BCE). Along with his son and successor, Janamejaya, he played a decisive role in the consolidation of the Kuru state, the arrangement of Vedic hymns into collections, and the development of the orthodox srauta ritual, transforming the Kuru realm into the dominant political and cultural center of northern Iron Age India. He also appears as a figure in later legends and traditions. According to the legendary accounts in Mahabharata and the Puranas, he succeeded his granduncle Yudhishthira to the throne of Hastinapur.
Introduction
!Parikesit in the [Javanese wayang kulit shadow theatre](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/COLLECTIETROPENMUSEUMWajangkulitpopvoorstellendePariksitTMnr8-290.jpg/250px-COLLECTIETROPENMUSEUMWajangkulitpopvoorstellendePariksitTMnr8-290.jpg)
Introduction
"Listen to the good praise of the King belonging to all people, who, (like) a god, is above men, (listen to the praise) of Parikṣit! - 'Parikṣit has just now made us peaceful dwelling; darkness has just now run to its dwelling.' The Kuru householder, preparing (grains) for milling, speaks (thus) with his wife. — 'What shall I bring you, sour milk, the mantha [a barley/milk drink?' the wife keeps asking in the Realm of King Pariksit. — By itself, the ripe barley bends heavily (iva) over the deep track of the path. The dynasty thrives auspiciously in the Realm of King Parikṣit.”