Shloka 87
वेन-पृथु-प्रादुर्भावः, राजधर्मः, पृथिवीदोहनम्
Vena–Pṛthu Episode and the Milking of Earth
स कल्पयित्वा वत्सं तु मनुं स्वायम्भुवं प्रभुम् स्वे पाणौ पृथिवीनाथो दुदोह पृथिवीं पृथुः सस्यजातानि सर्वाणि प्रजानां हितकाम्यया
sa kalpayitvā vatsaṃ tu manuṃ svāyambhuvaṃ prabhum sve pāṇau pṛthivīnātho dudoha pṛthivīṃ pṛthuḥ sasyajātāni sarvāṇi prajānāṃ hitakāmyayā
Then King Pṛthu, lord of the earth, appointing the venerable Svāyambhuva Manu as the calf, milked the Earth into his own hands, drawing forth every kind of grain and produce for the welfare of all beings.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Historical
Quality: authoritative
Creation Stage: Secondary
Manvantara: Svayambhuva
Concept: Dharmic authority channels nature’s fecundity for the welfare of all, turning scarcity into shared abundance.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use leadership and skill to convert resources into inclusive nourishment, avoiding hoarding and exploitation.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhūmi (as divine śakti/consort aspect) and ruler function in harmony within the Lord’s cosmic order, showing coordinated immanence in the world.
Dharma Exemplar: loka-saṅgraha (welfare of all beings)
Key Kings: Pṛthu, Svāyambhuva Manu
Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi
FAQs
It symbolizes dharmic sovereignty: the righteous king organizes nature’s abundance so society receives grains and sustenance in an orderly, welfare-centered way.
Parāśara presents Svāyambhuva Manu as the ‘calf’—the focal principle that enables the Earth’s yield—linking prosperity to Manvantara order and lawful governance.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana frames such cosmic and royal order as ultimately upheld by Vishnu—the supreme ground of dharma through whom prosperity and stability arise.