| Prithu | |
|---|---|
 Prithu chasingPrithvi, who is in the form of a cow | |
| Devanagari | पृथु |
| Affiliation | Vaishnavism,Chakravarti sovereign |
| Weapon | Bow and arrow |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Vena (father) |
| Consort | Archi |
| Children | Vijitsatva |
Prithu (Sanskrit: पृथु,Pṛthu, lit. "large, great, important, abundant")[1] is a sovereign (chakravarti), featured in thePuranas. According toHinduism, he is anavatar (incarnation) of the preserver god—Vishnu. He is also calledPrithu,Prithi andPrithvi Vainya, literally, "Prithu — the son ofVena".
Prithu is "celebrated as the first consecrated king, from whom the earth received her (Sanskrit) name,Prithvi."[2] He is mainly associated with the legend of his chasing the earth goddess, Prithvi, who fled in the form of a cow and eventually agreed to yield her milk as the world's grain and vegetation.[3] The epicMahabharata,Vishnu Purana, and theBhagavata Purana describe him as a part-avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu.[4]
Prithu was born without female intervention(without a womb), thus being aayonija ("born without (the participation) of theyoni"), Prithu is untouched by desire and ego and can thus control his senses to rule withdharma.[5]
The legend of Prithu is found in the epicMahabharata and mostPuranas; theVishnu Purana,Bhagavata Purana and thePadma Purana are the most detailed.[6][7]
TheVishnu Purana, theMatsya Purana, theBrahma Purana, theBhagavata Purana and theHarivamsha state that KingVena was the son of King Anga, from the lineage of the piousDhruva, though the scriptures differ in the number and names of the generations between Dhruva and Anga. ThePadma Purana however states that Anga descends from the sageAtri.[8]
TheVishnu Purana states that Vena's mother was Sunitha, the daughter ofMrityu. Vena was an evil king, who neglected Vedic rituals. Thus therishis (sages) killed him, leaving the kingdom without an heir and in famine due to the anarchy of Vena. So to create a son, the sages rubbed Vena's thigh, out of which first appeared a dark dwarf hunter, a symbol of Vena's evil. The dwarf was known asNishada, the originator of his namesake race. Since the sins of Vena had gone away as the dwarf, the body was now pure. On further churning, Prithu emerged from right arm of the corpse.[9] TheBhagavata Purana adds that when the sage churned the arms of Prithu, a couple emerges: Prithu and Archi, who will be his wife.[10]
TheVishnu Purana continues: Prithu had the sign of Vishnu'schakra (discus) on his right hand. The creator-godBrahma recognized Prithu as an avatar of Vishnu, owing to this. His power is said to superior to the gods.[11] The text states thechakra is the sign of an universal emperor (chakravarti, lit. "in whom the chakra abides").[12] However according to Oldham, the titlechakravarti may be derived from the birthmark, and may not be indicative of universal dominion.[11] In theBhagavata Purana specifics that thechakra mark is on Prithu's right palm and a lotus mark on the soles of his feet.[10]
In theVishnu Purana, a celestial bow called Ajagava and arrows etc. were gifted by the heavens to Prithu.[12] TheBhagavata Purana describes several gifts like throne, ornaments, royal umbrella, crown, sceptre, sword, shield, bow and arrows, horses, cows and other royal signina as gifts from various deities.[13]
The birth of Prithu is treated as ayajna (sacrifice) by Brahma. Prithu was crownedRaja.Sūtas andmagadhas, royal heralds and bards, were produced from the sacrifice, and sang the king's glories. Implored by his subjects to end the famine by slaying the earth and getting her vegetation, Prithu chased the earth (Prithvi) who fled as a cow. Finally cornered by Prithu, the earth pleads Prithu to spare her life and in turn she will grant her vegetation. So Prithu lowered his weapons and reasoned with the earth and promised her to be her guardian. Before Prithu's reign, there was "no cultivation, no pasture, no agriculture, no highway for merchants", all civilization emerged in Prithu's rule. Prithu levelled the mountains and established villages, which were settled by his subjects. Prithu milked her usingSwayambhuva Manu (the first man) as the calf, and received all vegetation and grain as her milk, in his hands for welfare of humanity. By granting life to the earth and being her protector, Prithu became the earth's father and she accepted thepatronymic name "Prithvi".[14]
Various beings emulate Prithu by milking the earth-cow with a distinct calf, using various vessels and acquires different gifts as milk from the earth. While theVishnu Purana does not provide the details, theMatsya Purana states as follows:[15]
| Beings | Milker | Calf | Milk | Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rishis (sages) | Brihaspati | Chandra (Soma), the moon | Devotion | Vedas |
| Devas (gods) | Indra, the king of gods | Surya (Mitra), the Sun | "superhuman" Power | Gold |
| Pitris (ancestors) | Antaka (death) | Yama, the god of death | Svadha (the food or oblations offered to Pitrs) | silver |
| Nagas (serpent) | Takshaka, a snake | Dhritarashtra, a snake | poison | Gourd |
| Asuras (demons) | Virochana, the king of asuras | Dwimurdhan | Maya (illusion) | iron |
| Yakshas | Kubera, the king of yakshas | ability to disappear | unbaked | |
| Rakshasas | Sumali | Raupyanabha | blood | |
| Gandharvas andApsaras | Vasuruchi | Chitraratha | Perfumes | of lotus-leaves |
| Mountains | Meru (Sumeru) | Himavat (Himalaya) | herbs and jewels | crystal |
| Trees | Plaksha (white fig) | Sala (Shorea robusta) | Sap | Palash |
TheBhagavata Purana, thePadma Purana and theBrahma Purana provide the list with some variation.[16]
TheManu Smriti considers Prithvi as Prithu's wife and not his daughter,[17] and thus suggests the name "Prithvi" is named after her husband, Prithu.[18]
TheVayu Purana records that when born, Prithu stood with a bow, arrows and an armour, ready to destroy the earth, which was devoid ofVedic rituals. Terrified, the earth fled in form of a cow and finally submitted to Prithu's demands, earning him the titlechakravartin (sovereign). Prithu is the first king, recorded to earn the title.[4] TheShatapatha Brahmana (Verse 3.5.4.) calls him the first anointed king and Vayu Purana calls himAdiraja ("first king").[4]
The epicMahabharata states that Vishnu crowned Prithu as the sovereign and entered the latter's body so that everyone bows to the king as to the god Vishnu. Now, the king was "endowed with Vishnu's greatness on earth". Further,Dharma (righteousness),Shri (goddess of wealth, beauty and good fortune) andArtha (purpose, material prosperity) established themselves in Prithu.[19]
TheAtharvaveda credits Prithu of the invention ofploughing and thus,agriculture. He is also described as one who flattened the Earth's rocky surface, thus encouraging agriculture,cattle-breeding, commerce and development of new cities on earth.[4] In a hymn in theRigveda, Prithu is described as arishi (seer). D. R. Patil suggests that the Rigvedic Prithu was a vegetarian deity, associated with Greek godDionysus and another Vedic godSoma.[20]
TheBhagavata Purana further states that Prithu performed ninety-nineashvamedhayajnas (horse-sacrifices), butIndra, kings of the demi-gods, disturbed Prithu's hundredth one. The yajna was abandoned, Vishnu gave Prithu his blessings and Prithu forgave Indra for the latter's theft of the ritual-horse. It also states that theFour Kumaras, the four sage-avatars of Vishnu, preached Prithu about devotion to Vishnu. After governing his kingdom for a long time, Prithu left with his wifeArchi, to perform penance in the forest in his last days. He experienced Samadhi and voluntarily gave up his body in the forest, and Archi wentSati on his funeral pyre.[21]
TheVishnu Purana states that Prithu has two sons: Antardhi (Antardhana) and Palin (Pali). The family of Prithu continues through his eldest son Antardhi. Prithu's great grandsons were thePrachetas.[22] TheVayu Purana, theBrahma Purana and theHarivamsa replicate the list of lineal descendants. However, theBhagavata Purana disagrees.[23] Apart from Prithvi who is sometimes considered the daughter or wife of Prithu, Prithu has a wife calledArchi and five sons. Archi, emerged from Vena's body, along with Prithu and is considered as an avatar of the goddessLakshmi, the wife of Vishnu. Prithu's son Vijitsva, became the sovereign and controlled the middle of the kingdom. Prithu's other sons, Haryarksha, Dhumrakesha, Vrika and Dravina ruled the east, south, west and north of the kingdom respectively.[18][21][24]
O'Flaherty interprets the myth of Prithu – his transformation from a hunter who chased the earth-cow to the herdsman-farmer as a transition in Vedic or Hindu people from eatingbeef to having cow's milk and cultivated vegetables and grain instead of beef.[25] David Shulman compares Prithu with the Vedic deityRudra-Shiva. Prithu, like Rudra, is an ideal king, but with a violent side. Prithu's actions of chasing the earth-cow as a hunter and finally milking her, display this terrifying side of the king. Both, Prithu and Rudra, are closely associated with sacrifice.[26]
Chinese scholarHiuen Tsang (c. 640 AD) records the existence of the townPehowa, named after Prithu, "who is said to be the first person that obtained the titleRaja (king)". Another place associated with Prithu isPrithudaka (lit. "Prithu's pool"), a town on the banks ofSarasvati river, where Prithu is believed to have performed theShraddha of his father. The town is referred to as the boundary between Northern and central India and referred to byPatanjali as the modern Pehowa.[27]
Shriman Narayan, one of the protagonists of IndianPanchayati Raj movement, tracing its origin, writes: "It is believed that the system was first introduced by King Prithu while colonizing the Doab between the Ganga and Jamuna."[28]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)| Dashavatara (for example)1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Other avatars | ||
1 The list of the "ten avatars" varies regionally. Two substitutions[clarification needed] involve Balarama, Krishna, and Buddha. Krishna is almost always included; in exceptions, he is considered the source of all avatars. | ||
