Shloka 86
वेन-पृथु-प्रादुर्भावः, राजधर्मः, पृथिवीदोहनम्
Vena–Pṛthu Episode and the Milking of Earth
आहारः फलमूलानि प्रजानाम् अभवत् तदा कृच्छ्रेण महता सो ऽपि प्रणष्टास्व् ओषधीषु वै
āhāraḥ phalamūlāni prajānām abhavat tadā kṛcchreṇa mahatā so 'pi praṇaṣṭāsv oṣadhīṣu vai
Then the nourishment of beings became only fruits and roots; and when the herbs and plants had perished, even that was obtained with great hardship and dwindled away.
Sage Parāśara (to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Historical
Quality: revealing
Concept: When the sustaining herbs perish, even minimal subsistence becomes arduous—nature’s balance is integral to dharma.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Treat environmental care and sustainable agriculture as moral duties supporting collective welfare.
Vishishtadvaita: Creation is the Lord’s body (śarīra); harm to its sustaining limbs (oṣadhi) disrupts the lived order for souls within it.
FAQs
It signals a severe decline in normal agriculture and abundance—society is reduced to foraging, indicating disruption of the natural order sustaining life.
Parāśara describes a progressive worsening: first beings live on fruits and roots, and then even that becomes difficult as vegetation (oṣadhi) disappears, portraying deepening distress.
By implication, Vishnu is the sustainer of cosmic order; when order collapses, nourishment fails—highlighting that restoration of stability ultimately depends on the Supreme sustaining principle.