Prthvi (पृथ्वी)

Prthvi (Samskrit:  पृथ्वी) or Earth is one of the five great elements or Panchamahabhutas, the others being Ap (water), Teja (fire), Vayu (air) and Akasha (space). The creation is said to have originated from these five elements.

परिचयः ॥ Introduction

The body of all living beings and non-living substances of this earth are made of the Panchamahabhutas viz. earth, water, fire, air and sky.

इह हि द्रव्यं पञ्चमहाभूतात्मकम् ।१७.२ iha hi dravyaṁ pañcamahābhūtātmakam ।17.2

Speaking of the evolution of the five great elements, the Taittiriya Upanishad says,

आकाशाद्वायुः । वायोरग्निः । अग्नेरापः । अद्भ्यः पृथिवी ।...॥ १ ॥ ākāśādvāyuḥ । vāyoragniḥ । agnerāpaḥ । adbhyaḥ pr̥thivī ।...॥ 1 ॥

Meaning: Air originated from the sky, from air came fire, from fire came water and from water came earth. So, earth is believed to have originated from water. According to Tarkasangraha, a basic text of the Nyaya-Vaisheshika schools of Indian philosophy, the characteristic of Prthvi is smell. Prthvi is of two kinds, Nitya (eternal) and Anitya (perishable). It is nitya in the form of Paramanu (earth-particles) and anitya in the form of Karya (all the products made of earth). The earth in the form of products can further be classified into three types viz. body of living beings, sense organs and objects made of earth.

तत्र गन्धवती पृथिवी । सा द्विविधा, नित्याऽनित्या च । नित्या परमाणुरूपा । अनित्या कार्यरूपा । पुनस्त्रिविधा शरीरेन्द्रियविषयभेदात् ।...॥१॥ tatra gandhavatī pr̥thivī । sā dvividhā, nityā'nityā ca । nityā paramāṇurūpā । anityā kāryarūpā । punastrividhā śarīrendriyaviṣayabhedāt ।...॥1॥

Infact, each of the mahabhutas are said to have a basic essential property and as they evolve from one another, their properties also expand. Therefore, along with the distinguishing property of earth viz. smell, the property of akasha and others ie. shabda, touch, form and taste together form the five basic properties of earth which like the earth itself are everlasting in nature.

Manifestation of the qualities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are also described in the five great elements. And the earth is considered tamas predominant.

नामाभिधानम् ॥ Names

Samskrit lexicons since the vedic times like the Vedic Nighantu, Amarakosha by Amarasimha, Rajanighantu by Vaidya Narahari, Abhidhanatantra by Jatadhara, Shabdaratnavali by Mathuresha, Shabdakalpadruma by Raja Radhakantdev Bahadur, etc. have enlisted multiple samskrit terms for 'earth'. They are as follows:

Terms for 'earth' in Sanskrit Lexicons

Vedic Nighantu (1.1)	Amarakosha (2.1.3-8)		Rajanighantu (2.1-3)
गौः । gauḥ	भूः । bhūḥ	पृथिवी । pr̥thivī	धरणिः । dharaṇiḥ	वसुमती । vasumatī	पृथुः | pr̥thuḥ
ग्मा । gmā	भूमिः । bhūmiḥ	पृथ्वी । pr̥thvī	धरित्री । dharitrī	इरा | irā	मही । mahī
ज्मा । jmā	अचला । acalā	क्ष्मा । kṣmā	भूतधात्री । bhūtadhātrī	काश्यपी । kāśyapī	क्षौणी | kṣauṇī
क्ष्मा । kṣmā	अनन्ता । anantā	अवनिः । avaniḥ	धरा । dharā	रत्नगर्भा । ratnagarbhā	सर्वंसहा । sarvaṁsahā
क्षा । kṣā	रसा । rasā	मेदिनी । medinī	भूः । bhūḥ	आदिमा | ādimā	अनन्ता । anantā
क्षमा । kṣamā	विश्वम्भरा । viśvambharā	मही । mahī	क्षितिः । kṣitiḥ	भूमिः । bhūmiḥ	भूतमाता | bhūtamātā
क्षोणी । kṣoṇī	स्थिरा । sthirā	विपुला । vipulā	महिः । mahiḥ	इला । ilā	निश्चला | niścalā
क्षितिः । kṣitiḥ	धरा । dharā	गह्वरी । gahvarī	धरणी । dharaṇī	वसुन्धरा । vasundharā	भूमी | bhūmī
अवनिः । avaniḥ	धरित्री । dharitrī	धात्री । dhātrī	इडा । iḍā	वरा | varā	बीजप्रसूः | bījaprasūḥ
उर्वी । urvī	धरणिः । dharaṇiḥ	गो । go	क्ष्मा । kṣmā	धात्री । dhātrī	श्यामा | śyāmā
पृथ्वी । pr̥thvī	क्षोणिः । kṣoṇiḥ	इला । ilā	अवनी । avanī	वसुधा । vasudhā	क्रोड्ककान्ता | kroḍkakāntā
मही । mahī	ज्या । jyā	कुम्भिनी । kumbhinī	मेदिनी । medinī	अचला । acalā
रिपः । ripaḥ	काश्यपी । kāśyapī	क्षमा । kṣamā	ज्या । jyā	उर्वरा | urvarā
अदितिः । aditiḥ	क्षितिः । kṣitiḥ	भूतधात्री । bhūtadhātrī	अवनिः । avaniḥ	विश्वम्भरा । viśvambharā
इळा । ilaā	सर्वंसहा । sarvaṁsahā	रत्नगर्भा । ratnagarbhā	उदधिः । udadhiḥ	आद्या | ādyā
निरृतिः । nirr̥tiḥ	वसुमती । vasumatī	जगती । jagatī	वस्त्रा | vastrā	जगती । jagatī
भूः । bhū	वसुधा । vasudhā	सागराम्बरा । sāgarāmbarā	गौः | gauḥ	क्षिती | kṣitī
भूमिः । bhūmiḥ	उर्वी । urvvī		क्षमा । kṣamā	रसा | rasā
पूषा । pūṣā	वसुन्धरा । vasundharā		क्षौणिः | kṣauṇiḥ	पृथ्वी । pr̥thvī
गातुः । gātuḥ	गोत्रा । gotrā		उर्वी । urvvī	गोत्रा । gotrā
गोत्रा । gotrā	कुः । kuḥ		कुः । kuḥ	पृथिवी । pr̥thivī

व्युत्पत्तिः ॥ Etymology

Earth is commonly known in Samskrit by the terms Prthvi, Prthivi, Bhumi, Dhara, Mahi, Medini, Kashyapi etc. The significance of these names are explained in Samskrit dictionaries with etymologies as well as with stories from the itihasas and puranas. Some such interesting interpretations of the names are enumerated here.

• According to the Devi Bhagavata Purana, earth is called Medini since it was made out of the marrow (meda) of the two Asuras Madhu and Kaitabha. She is also called Dhara as she supports everything, Prthvi due to her expanse and Mahi because of her greatness in supporting so many beings.

मधुकैटभयोर्मेदः संयोगान्मेदिनी स्मृता । धारणाच्च धरा प्रोक्ता पृथ्वी विस्तारयोगतः ॥ ८ ॥ मही चापि महीयस्... । madhukaiṭabhayormedaḥ saṁyogānmedinī smr̥tā । dhāraṇācca dharā proktā pr̥thvī vistārayogataḥ ॥ 8 ॥ mahī cāpi mahīyas... ।

• The Mahabharata states that once Prthvi, the daughter of Brahma, decided to give up her 'bhumitva' and proceed to brahmaloka to deprive Raja Anga of his kingdom that he wished to give as dana to brahmanas. Seeing her leave, Maharshi Kashyapa temporarily gave up his body and installed himself in the gross body of the Earth with the help of yoga thereby making the earth flourish more than ever. This way, Maharshi Kashyapa upheld the earth for 3000 divine years. When Prthvi returned from brahmaloka, she offered salutations to the great Rishi Kashyapa and began living as his daughter thereby gaining the name Kashyapi.

अथागम्य महाराजन्नमस्कृत्यि च कश्यपम् । पृथवी काश्यपी जज्ञे सुता तस्य महात्मनः ।।१३.२५९.७ athāgamya mahārājannamaskr̥tyi ca kaśyapam । pr̥thavī kāśyapī jajñe sutā tasya mahātmanaḥ ।।13.259.7

• According to Shabdakalpadruma, the words Prthvi or Prthivi stem from the root word 'Prath' which means 'to spread' or 'to extend'; it is endowed with the quality of 'sthulatva' or 'expanse'. She is called Prthvi on account of her being considered the daughter of Raja Prthu.

प्रथते विस्तारं यातीति पृथिवी । पृथ्वी स्थूलत्वगुणयुक्ता । पृथोर्दुहितृत्वस्वीकारादेतन्नाम । prathate vistāraṁ yātīti pr̥thivī । pr̥thvī sthūlatvaguṇayuktā । pr̥thorduhitr̥tvasvīkārādetannāma ।

It is said that formerly, the grounds were not even, there were no divisions like villages and towns, no crops like rice or wheat, no agriculture, no cow-protection and no trade. People desired to live in places where the grounds were even. Then they lived on fruits, leaves and roots. But then came a time when everything was destroyed and people found it difficult to live. Therefore, Prthu, making Svayambhuva Manu as calf, milked all the plants from the earth for the welfare of his people. Even today, people live by what was milked then. And because he brought back life on Earth, Prthu became father of the earth and she got the name Prthvi.

पृथ्वीदोहनम् ॥ Milking of the Earth

It is said that the learned call the earth Prthvi because she was milked by the righteous ruler Prthu.

दुहितृत्वङ्गता यस्मात् पृथौर्धर्म्मवतो मही। तदानुरागयोगाच्च पृथिवी विश्रुता बुधैः।। १०.३५ ।। duhitr̥tvaṅgatā yasmāt pr̥thaurdharmmavato mahī। tadānurāgayogācca pr̥thivī viśrutā budhaiḥ।। 10.35 ।।

The Matya Purana in Adhyaya 10 elaborates on how the earth came to be called 'Prthvi' and 'Gau' through the story of Raja Vena and Raja Prthu.

Long time ago, there was an oppressive and extremely non-righteous ruler by the name Vena. He refused to heed to the good advice of the brahmanas who wished to bring about law and order and thereby got killed by their curse. Then, in order to avoid anarchy, the brahmanas churned the body of Raja Vena giving rise to Prthu who sprung out as a result of the good qualities of Vena's father, Prajapati Anga. Prthu was then anointed as the ruler while he continued to practice severe austerities and was eventually blessed by Bhagavan Vishnu who made him powerful and illustrous. However, Raja Prthu noticed the absence of Vedic rites on the earth and set out to destroy the earth with his arrow. It is then that the earth is known to have taken the form of a cow to flee. Thereby, gaining the name 'Gau'.

This story expresses a beautiful allegory wherein the righteous ruler Prthu envisioned the earth in the form of a cow (an important aspect of agricultural activity) that could give sweet milk, if milked properly. And thereby applied himself to the task of uplifting the degenerated. As the allegory continues, the cow could also represent the offenders whom the Raja is portrayed chasing before they crave for forgiveness, being overpowered by the sovereign who is also anxious to reclaim and uplift them. Therefore, the bow and arrow of the ruler here is like the stick in the hand of a cow's master that directs the footsteps of the animal.

The Matsya Purana then states the different ways in which the earth was milked by different people beginning with Raja Prthu himself while the cow obliged them to cater to the needs of all beings as per Raja Prthu's request.

Metaphors in milking of the Earth

Who milked the cow ?	Calf	Milk
Raja Prthu	Svayambhuva Manu	Grains to support mankind
Rishis through Brhaspati	Moon	Milk of virtue in the pot of Vedas
Devas through Mitra	Indra	Elixir of life in the pot of gold
Pitrs	-	Elixir of life in the pot of Silver
Antaka	Yama	Svadha
Nagas through Dhrtarashtra	Takshaka	Poison in a gourd
Asuras through Dvimurdha	Virochana	Maya in a pot of iron
Yakshas	Kuvera	Knowledge of making themselves invisible in an earthen pot
Pretas and Rakshasas	Sumali and Raupya	Stream of blood
Gandharvas and Apsaras through Vararuchi	Chaitraratha	Various kinds of fragrance on a lotus leaf
Mountains through Mount Sumeru	Mount Himalaya	Precious gems and medicinal herbs in the foot of hill ranges
Trees through Shala tree	Figtree	Power of regerminating even after being lopped in a leaf of Palasa

पृथिव्याः उत्पत्तिः ॥ Creation of the Earth

The itihasas and Puranas uphold the earth as Bhumi Devi (a goddess). The Mahabharata (Dakshinatya Patha) states that Bhumi Devi was the daughter of Brahma, married by Mahavisnu. And the earth on which we live is her Mrtpinda. The Puranas consist of many such narratives regarding the origin of Earth. Some of them are given below:

• According to the Devi Bhagavata (Skandha 1, Adhyaya 9), in the beginning, Mahavishnu lay on the surface of water which spread everywhere. A lotus sprang up from the navel of Vishnu and from its top Brahma was born. Liquid matter then began to flow out of Vishnu's ears on both sides. From it were born two Rakshasas named Madhu and Kaitabha. They harassed Brahma. Therefore, Mahavishnu woke up and killed Madhu and Kaitabha. It was the thick fat (meda) of these Rakshasas that hardened to form the earth (Medini).

गतप्राणौ तदा जातौ दानवौ मधुकैटभौ । सागरः सकलो व्याप्तस्तदा वै मेदसा तयोः ॥ ८३ ॥ मेदिनीति ततो जातं नाम पृथ्व्याः समन्ततः ।...॥ ८४ ॥ gataprāṇau tadā jātau dānavau madhukaiṭabhau । sāgaraḥ sakalo vyāptastadā vai medasā tayoḥ ॥ 83 ॥ medinīti tato jātaṁ nāma pr̥thvyāḥ samantataḥ ।...॥ 84 ॥

• Skandha 9 (Adhyaya 3) of the Devi Bhagavata also elaborates on the creation of the earth. It is said that in the beginning, Mahavishnu or Mahavirata Purusha spread everywhere. And in every pore of that Mahavirata, who was lying on the surface of the water, there was a Brahmanda. In course of time, that Virat obtained a mind. That mind stood connected with each of the pores equally. And later the Panchamahabhutas were formed from it. From their combination was formed the Bhuta called "Maha Prthvi". It was cut into many pieces and each of the pieces was deposited in each pore. It was these Prthvi pieces which became "Bhumis” at the time of creation. During floods, these Bhumis sank again into those pores as before. In each of these Brahmandas, there are the earth, mountains, forests, oceans, the seven islands, Himavan, Meru, Sun, Moon, Stars and other lokas. Also, each of them has its own Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and other Devas. Since all the different Bhumis in all the Brahmandas had been formed artificially, they are all known to perish in the floods.

एवं सर्वं कृत्रिमं च बाह्याभ्यन्तरमेव च ॥ १४ ॥ तद्विनाशे विनाशश्च सर्वेषामेव नारद । जलबुद्‌बुदवत्सर्वं विश्वसंघमनित्यकम् ॥ १५ ॥ evaṁ sarvaṁ kr̥trimaṁ ca bāhyābhyantarameva ca ॥ 14 ॥ tadvināśe vināśaśca sarveṣāmeva nārada । jalabud‌budavatsarvaṁ viśvasaṁghamanityakam ॥ 15 ॥

भूसंरक्षणम् ॥ Preservation of the Earth

Earth is known for having nourished and protected biodiversity. The Vedas thus, accord the status of a mother to the earth. It is said in the Rigveda,

द्यौर्मे पिता जनिता नाभिरत्र बन्धुर्मे माता पृथिवी महीयम् ।...॥३३॥ dyaurme pitā janitā nābhiratra bandhurme mātā pr̥thivī mahīyam ।...॥33॥

Meaning: Sky is my father, brother and my centre. And this vast earth is my mother who is the greatest.A similar feeling is conveyed in the Atharvaveda as well. It says,

माता भूमिः पुत्रोऽहं पृथिव्याः ... ॥१२॥mātā bhūmiḥ putro'haṁ pr̥thivyāḥ ... ॥12॥

Meaning: The earth is our mother and I am her son. The Atharvaveda also states that the earth nourishes us, protects our wealth, is the foundation of everything, has gold in itself, is the resort of all moving and non-moving objects, provides happiness to all, nurtures fire within and such a land will endow us with prosperity. Thereby, indirectly emphasizing on the importance of conserving land in the Vedas.

विश्वंभरा वसुधानी प्रतिष्ठा हिरण्यवक्षा जगतो निवेशनी । वैश्वानरं बिभ्रती भूमिरग्निमिन्द्रऋषभा द्रविणे नो दधातु ॥६॥ viśvaṁbharā vasudhānī pratiṣṭhā hiraṇyavakṣā jagato niveśanī । vaiśvānaraṁ bibhratī bhūmiragnimindrar̥ṣabhā draviṇe no dadhātu ॥6॥

According to the Vedas, the earth is our shelter. It nurtures us and takes care of us. Therefore, it is our responsibility to protect it. In Vedic culture, there is a lot of emphasis on conservation of land. The Prthvi Sukta of the Atharvaveda is note worthy in this regard.It says,

यत्ते भूमे विखनामि क्षिप्रं तदपि रोहतु । मा ते मर्म विमृग्वरि मा ते हृदयमर्पिपम् ॥३५॥ yatte bhūme vikhanāmi kṣipraṁ tadapi rohatu । mā te marma vimr̥gvari mā te hr̥dayamarpipam ॥35॥

Meaning: O land ! If I dig any part of you, it should be filled immediately. O discoverable earth ! I won't do anything that will either hurt your heart or harm you. This personal prayer towards the earth shows how sensitive the Vedic Rishi is towards the earth. If a feeling of this kind is fostered in the minds then land conservation will happen of its own accord. Infact, conservation of land in the Vedas is inherent in the protection of one's motherland. Expressing concern for the preservation of the Earth, the Rishi further states, in the Prthvi Sukta, that one must be ready for even self-sacrifice for the protection of the Earth.

उपस्थास्ते अनमीवा अयक्ष्मा अस्मभ्यं सन्तु पृथिवि प्रसूताः । दीर्घं न आयुः प्रतिबुध्यमाना वयं तुभ्यं बलिहृतः स्याम ॥६२॥ upasthāste anamīvā ayakṣmā asmabhyaṁ santu pr̥thivi prasūtāḥ । dīrghaṁ na āyuḥ pratibudhyamānā vayaṁ tubhyaṁ balihr̥taḥ syāma ॥62॥

Meaning: O Earth ! All of us who have gained birth from you, may we all be healthy and longlived in your lap. And may we ever remain ready to sacrifice self-benefit for the sake of motherland and remain ever-ready in your service. Such is the spirit of land conservation in the Vedas. The Rigveda also speaks on conservation of natural resources. The Aranyani sukta of the Rigveda states that those who love and know the importance of forests never destroy the forests nor do any other violence towards such forest lovers.

न वा अरण्यानिर्हन्त्यन्यश्चेन्नाभिगच्छति ।...॥५॥ na vā araṇyānirhantyanyaścennābhigacchati ।...॥5॥

Thus, the Rishis wish for the preservation of the Earth in various forms and there was a lot of emphasis for the preservation of the earth in our ancient knowledge tradition. Infact, in the Brhadaranyakopanishad, Maharshi Yajnavalkya explains to Maitreyi that this earth is the essence of all the bhutas (core elements) and all the bhutas are in the middle of this earth.

इयं पृथिवी सर्वेषां भूतानां मधु । अस्यै पृथिव्यै सर्वाणि भूतानि मधु ।... ॥ २,५.१ ॥ iyaṁ pr̥thivī sarveṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ madhu । asyai pr̥thivyai sarvāṇi bhūtāni madhu ।... ॥ 2,5.1 ॥

A famoue quote by Mahatma Gandhi states that the nature is capable of fulfilling our needs but not in fulfilling anyone's greed. So, if nature is used with conservation, then all the needs of human species can be fulfilled. Thus, we should be conscious of the environment around us, avoid exploitation of land and conserve the earth as emphasized by the Vedic Rishis.