Prithu was born without female intervention(without a womb), thus being a
ayonija ("born without (the participation) of the
yoni"), Prithu is untouched by desire and ego and can thus control his senses to rule with
dharma. The legend of Prithu is found in the epic
Mahabharata and most
Puranas; the
Vishnu Purana,
Bhagavata Purana and the
Padma Purana are the most detailed. The
Vishnu Purana, the
Matsya Purana, the
Brahma Purana, the
Bhagavata Purana and the
Harivamsha state that King
Vena was the son of King Anga, from the lineage of the pious
Dhruva, though the scriptures differ in the number and names of the generations between Dhruva and Anga. The
Padma Purana however states that Anga descends from the sage
Atri. The
Vishnu Purana states that Vena's mother was Sunitha, the daughter of
Mrityu. Vena was an evil king, who neglected Vedic rituals. Thus the
rishis (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 as
Nishada, 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. The
Bhagavata Purana adds that when the sage churned the arms of Prithu, a couple emerges: Prithu and Archi, who will be his wife. The
Vishnu Purana continues: Prithu had the sign of Vishnu's
chakra (discus) on his right hand. The creator-god
Brahma recognized Prithu as an avatar of Vishnu, owing to this. His power is said to superior to the gods. In the
Bhagavata Purana specifics that the
chakra mark is on Prithu's right palm and a lotus mark on the soles of his feet. The
Bhagavata 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. The birth of Prithu is treated as a
yajna (sacrifice) by Brahma. Prithu was crowned
Raja.
Sūtas and
magadhas, 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 using
Swayambhuva 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 the
patronymic name "Prithvi". 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 the
Vishnu Purana does not provide the details, the
Matsya Purana states as follows: The
Bhagavata Purana, the
Padma Purana and the
Brahma Purana provide the list with some variation. The
Manu Smriti considers Prithvi as Prithu's wife and not his daughter, and thus suggests the name "Prithvi" is named after her husband, Prithu. The
Vayu Purana records that when born, Prithu stood with a bow, arrows and an armour, ready to destroy the earth, which was devoid of
Vedic rituals. Terrified, the earth fled in form of a cow and finally submitted to Prithu's demands, earning him the title
chakravartin (sovereign). Prithu is the first king, recorded to earn the title. The
Atharvaveda credits Prithu of the invention of
ploughing 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. The
Bhagavata Purana further states that Prithu performed ninety-nine
ashvamedha yajnas (horse-sacrifices), but
Indra, 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 the
Four 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 wife
Archi, to perform penance in the forest in his last days. He experienced Samadhi and voluntarily gave up his body in the forest, and Archi went
Sati on his funeral pyre.
Wives and children The
Vishnu 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 the
Prachetas. The
Vayu Purana, the
Brahma Purana and the
Harivamsa replicate the list of lineal descendants. However, the
Bhagavata Purana disagrees. Apart from Prithvi who is sometimes considered the daughter or wife of Prithu, Prithu has a wife called
Archi and five sons. Archi, emerged from Vena's body, along with Prithu and is considered as an avatar of the goddess
Lakshmi, 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. ==Symbolism==