Now, the sages who had retrieved King Vena's corpse were churning his arms, and from them, a man and a woman were born.
It was decided that both of them would get married right away and that the lineage would continue from them. The sages believed that they were incarnations of lord Vishnu and goddess Lakshmi. The male was named Prithu, and the female was named Archi. For Prithu, bows and armor fell from the sky, and because of his birth, King Vena attained heaven.
The Gandharvas sang beautiful melodies, the sages now lauded Prithu, the couple received flowers from heaven, and the apsaras' dance added to the happiness of this pair who had received a gift from every living thing on earth.
Years passed. A severe drought once occurred. The average person could not afford enough grains for even one meal.
Pained by the state of his subjects, the king made up his mind to destroy the world and set out in his chariot. Mother Earth, fearing the king, disguised herself as a cow and ran away, with the king following her wherever she went. Finally, Bhudevi, having given up on running, surrendered to him and asked him why he wanted to kill her.
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| King Prithu chasing Mother Earth in the form of a cow. |
King retorted, "We are starving. We have given you water and fertilizer. We are not getting enough food. I will kill you and offer your body to hungry people."
"By murdering me, the humans would also perish. I have absorbed the seeds of all plants within me. Nurture them with my milk," the cow went on. She also requested that he send a calf and a container so that he could collect her milk.
When Swayambhuva Manu became a calf, King Prithu brought him, and he poured milk on all the plants with his cupped hands.
Comparably, the sages created a calf out of Brihaspati and a pot out of the senses; Lord Indra became the calf of the gods; the demons transformed Prahlada, the son of Hiranya Kashipu, into a calf, took the liquor, and put it in an iron pot; similarly, Rudradev, in the form of the calf of Asuras and ghosts, gave them drinks of blood, which they kept in the skull-shaped pot. In this way, distinct entities brought particular vessels and succeeded in getting what they desired.
After granting everyone's wishes, the king turned to face the earth and shot arrows, broke rocks, and levelled villages and towns to aid various communities. In this way, he became the reason for the kingdom's prosperity, and the goddess Earth, having been reborn by him, became his daughter and took the name Prithvi.
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Once upon a time, Sanak and other Rishi Kumaras attended the hundredth Ashwamedha Yaga, which was initiated by King Prithu in an area known as Brahmavarta, east of the Saraswati river.
Lord Indra stole the sacrificial horse because he thought Prithu would grow stronger than him if this yaga happened. Sage Atri brought this to the king's attention. Prithu then commanded his son Vijitashva to kill Indra.
The prince trailed after him. At once, Indra assumed the appearance of a sage. Sage Atri saw him and encouraged him to follow again. Vijitashva fired the arrow this time. Fearing the arrow, Indra arrived at the king's yagya place, gave back the horse, knelt down at his feet, and implored for pardon.
However, Brahma said as he arrived there: "Indra and the devatas are required to accept the sacrifice offerings. Killing Indra is unfair. Stop this hundredth yajna right now." And the king readily accepted it.
After a few years the king, enthroning his son, left his body while meditating on Lord Vishnu.
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