Prithi
PRITHI, PRITHU, PRITHIVAINYA.
[Source:
Dowson's Classical Dictionary
of Hindu Mythology] Prithi
or Prithivainya, i.e., Prithi,
son of Vena, is mentioned in the Rigveda, and he is the declared Rishi or
author of one of the hymns.
The Atharvaveda says, "She (Viraj) ascended: she
came to men. Men called her to them, saying, 'Come, Iravati.' Manu Vaivaswata
was her calf, and the earth her vessel. Prithivainya milked her; he milked
from her agriculture and grain. Men subsist on agriculture and grain." The
Satapatha Brahmana refers to Prithi as "first of men who was installed as a
king." These early allusions receive a consistent form in the Puranas, and
we have the following legend: -- Prithi was son of Vena, son of Anga. He was
called the first king, and from him the earth received her name Prithivi. The
Vishnu Purana says that the Rishis "inaugurated Vena monarch of the earth," but
he was wicked by nature and prohibited worship and sacrifice. Incensed at the
decay of religion, pious sages beat Vena to death with blades of holy grass.
In the absence of a king robbery and anarchy arose, and the Munis, after consultation,
proceeded to rub the thigh of the dead king in order to produce a son. There
came forth "a man like a charred log, with flat face and extremely short." This
man became a Nishada, and with him came out the sins of the departed king.
The Brahmans then rubbed the right arm of the corpse, "and from it sprang the
majestic Prithu, Vena's son, resplendent in body, glowing like the manifested
Agni.. At his birth all creatures rejoiced, and through the birth of this virtuous
son Vena, delivered from the hell called Put, ascended to heaven." Prithu then
became invested with universal dominion. His subjects, who had suffered from
famine, besought him for the edible plants which the earth withheld. In anger
he seized his bow to compel her to yield the usual supply. She assumed the
form of a cow and fled before him. Unable to escape, she implored him to spare
her, and promised to restore all the needed fruits if a calf were given to
her, through which she might be able to secrete milk. "He therefore, having
made Swayambhuva Manu the calf, milked the earth, and received the milk into
his own hand for the benefit of mankind. Thence proceeded all kinds of corn
and vegetables upon which people subsist now and perpetually. By granting life
to the earth Prithu was as her father, and she thence derived the patronymic
appellation Prithivi." This milking the earth has been made the subject of
much allegory and symbolism. The Matsya Purana specifies a variety of milkers,
gods, men, Nagas, Asuras, etc., in the following style: -- "The Rishis milked
the earth through Brihaspati; their calf was Soma, the Vedas were the vessel,
and the milk was devotion." Other Puranas agree with only slight deviations. "These
mystifications," says Wilson, "are all, probably, subsequent modifications
of the original simple allegory which typified the earth as a cow, who yielded
to every class of beings the milk they desired, or the object of their wishes."
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Modern
Languages MLLL-4993. Indian Epics. Laura Gibbs, Ph.D.
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October 16, 2007 12:22 PM
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