Sage Suka’s test

In the second canto, Sage Suka tells Parikshit that one gets different things in life by propitiating to different deities. By propitiating to Kubera, one becomes wealthy etc.
Similarly, Lord Shiva is the deity to be propitiated to dispel the fear of an impending death (Shiva is also called Mrithyunjaya – the conqueror of death).
Sage Suka narrates the episode of Daksha Yagnam to Parikshit as the first major episode thereby glorifying the greatness of Lord Shiva.
This was Sage Suka’s test to find out if Parikshit was interested in merely postpone his ensuing death by propitiating to Lord Shiva. But Parikshit was only interested in Moksha, the supreme state of immortal bliss.