ॐ Hindu Of Universe ॐ
“God’s light is within you, It never leaves you.”
Prithu
According to Hindu mythology, Prithu is a sovereign, named in the Vedic scriptures and considered an Avatar (incarnation) of the preserver god—Vishnu. He is also called Pruthu, Prithi and Prithu Vainya, literally, Prithu — the son of Vena. Prithu is “celebrated as the first consecrated king, from whom the earth received her name Prithvi. ” He is mainly associated with the legend of his chasing the earth goddess, Prithvi, who fled in the form of a cow and eventually agreed to yield her milk as the world’s grain and vegetation. The epic Mahabharata and text Vishnu Purana describes him as a part Avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu.
he Bhagavata Purana and Vishnu Purana tells the story of Prithu: King Vena, from the lineage of the pious Dhruva, 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, the sages churned Vena’s body, out of which first appeared a dark dwarf hunter, a symbol of Vena’s evil. 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. To end the famine by slaying the earth and getting her fruits, Prithu chased the earth (Prithvi) who fled as a cow. Finally, cornered by Prithu, the earth states that killing her would mean the end of his subjects too. So Prithu lowered his weapons and reasoned with the earth and promised her to be her guardian. Finally, Prithu milked her using Manu as a calf, and received all vegetation and grain as her milk, in his hands for welfare of humanity. Before Prithu’s reign, there was “no cultivation, no pasture, no agriculture, no highway for merchants”, all civilization emerged in Prithu’s rule. By granting life to the earth and being her protector, Prithu became the Earth’s father and she accepted the patronymic name “Prithvi”. However, 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 creator-god Brahma is described to have recognized Prithu as an avatar of Vishnu, as one of Prithu’s birthmark was Vishnu’s chakram (discus) on his hand and thus Prithu was “numbered amongst the human gods”. According to Oldham, the title Chakravarti may be derived from this birthmark, and may not be indicative of universal dominion. Prithu was worshipped as an incarnation of Vishnu in his lifetime and now is considered a Nāga demi-god. Shatapatha Brahmana (Verse 3.5.4.) calls him the first anointed king and Vayu Purana calls him adiraja (“first king”).
The epic Mahabharata states that Vishnu crowned Prithu as the sovereign and entered the latter’s body so that everyone bows to the king as to god Vishnu. Now, the king was “endowed with Vishnu’s greatness on earth”. Further, Dharma (righteousness), Shri (goddess of wealth, beauty and good fortune) and Artha (purpose, material prosperity) established themselves in Prithu.
The Atharvaveda credits him 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, commerence and development of new cities on earth. In a hymn in Rigveda, Prithu is described as a rishi (seer). D. R. Patil suggests that the Rigvedic Prithu was a vegetarian deity, associated with Greek god Dionysus and another Vedic god Soma.
Bhagavata Purana further states that Prithu performed ninety-nine ashwamedha yagnas (horse-sacrifices), but Indra, kings of the demi-gods, disturbed Prithu’s hundredth one. The yagya 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 Sanatkumaras, the four sage-incarnations 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 died in the forest, and Archi went Sati on his funeral pyre.
Vishnu Puran Story of King Prithu
After that, munis churned Ven’s arms. A male-female simple with divine visage appeared from it. Seeing the palm line of the man’s right hand resembling with that of Lord Vishnu and the symbol of lotus in feet, they considered him a fraction of Lord Vishnu.
Munigana said gladly, “This man has appeared with the power of Lord Narayan and this woman is real incarnation of Laxmi. This divine man will be famous by the name of Prithu for expanding his fame. Embellished with beautiful clothes and ornaments, this extremely beautiful woman will be his wife named Archi. Lord Vishnu himself has incarnated in the form of Prithu and Laxmi as Archi in order to protect the world.”
Soon after his birth, the able sage-like son Prithu released the sinful Ven from the-hell through his noble deeds. Thereafter, rishi-munis organized Prithu’s coronation. All the deities were present on this auspicious occasion: Lord Vishnu gifted his Sudarshan Chakra to Prithu, Brahmaji gifted Vedmayi armour, lord Shiv gifted the divine sword with ten cyclic symbols, two fans by Vayudev (the god of air), prestigious necklace by Dharmaraj (the god of Dharma), suave crown by Devraj Indra, Kaaldand by Yamraj (the god of death), divine bow by Agnidev (the god of fire), and a royal throne made of gold was gifted by Kuber.
When munigana started praying Prithu, then Prithu said, “Respected sirs! Which virtue of mine should you pray for when I have shown none so far in this lok? Pray Parbrahm Parmatma (supreme soul) alone. Pray me only when my virtues come to light. In any case, noble men do not pray insignificant men when there exists Lord Vishnu. Like learned persons feel bad for talking about their knowledge, similarly persons, famous around the world, hate themselves to be prayed. Therefore please do not pray me.” All the rishi-munis were touched by the statement of Prithu. Then Prithu consoled them by offering their desired objects. They all showered their blessings on King Prithu.
The earth had become devoid of grain during the same time when rishi-munis had crowned Prithu. The subjects had physically turned emaciated in the absence of grain. They entreated King Prithu for help.
Listening to the pathetic request of his subjects, Prithu’s heart melted with compassion. He could know with a little contemplation the reason for loss of grain from the earth. He came to know that the earth had concealed all types of grains and medicines within her. Then he raised his bow out of rage and was ready to shoot arrow at the earth. Seeing him stretching the arrow on the bow, the earth began to escape changing herself into a cow.
Seeing the earth running away in the form of a cow, the furious Prithu began following her. Whichever place she would go to save her life, King Prithu was visible at every place with bow and arrow.
When she did not get refuge anywhere, she returned scared to Prithu and said, “Great King! Why do you want to kill a weak and trifle like me, when you are always ready to protect all the livings? Will your Kshatriya dharma permit to assassinate a female? Even ordinary people do not raise their hand upon women for doing some misdemeanour. How, then, a compassionate and kind can do so? Further, kindly think, where would you inhabit your subjects after executing me?
Then Prithu said, “Earth! You have not given grain to my subject despite taking your share from yajna, therefore I will finish you. Your intellect has corrupted. You have concealed the grain and such seeds, created by Brahmaji, in your womb.
By not producing it, you are killing many lives. Execution of I lie person is justified according to scriptures who fosters only himself and is cruel towards other living beings. Now I will turn your womb into smithereens with my arrows and will have all the grains with the power of yog after quelling the hunger of my subject.”
King Prithu appeared as real Kaal (the death) due to the intensity of rage. Seeing his dreadful appearance, the earth said praying him in humble voice, “King! Only the evil people were eating the grain created by Brahmaji. Several kings had stopped giving respect to me; therefore I had concealed the grains in my womb. Arrange an able calf, a pail, and someone to milk me, if you want to get the grain. I will offer you those substances in the form of milk. One thing more, O king! You turn me plane so that the water rained by Indra could remain on me throughout the year. This would be beneficial for all of you.” Then making the self-styled Manu into a calf, Prithu milked the earth completely with his own hands. Then he turned the earth’s surface into plane by breaking the mountains with the help of the point of his arrows. Then he adopted the earth as his daughter. Earlier the earth was called Medini due to being made of med (white blood) of the demon named Madhu-Kaitabh but she became famous by the name of Prithvi after becoming the daughter of King Prithu. Thus, fulfilling the wish of the earth, Prithu rescued his subjects.
First Among Kings
From the Vedic literature: the history of King Prithu, the incarnation of the ruling potency of the Supreme Lord.
Long ago, the normally peaceful wise men of a Vedic kingdom forcibly deposed an intolerably corrupt ruler. But instead of replacing him with another unprincipled politician (as has so often happened in the history of the world), they selected a perfect chief executive to command the state. The story of this ancient coup d’etat holds many lessons for the people of nations victimized by unworthy leaders.
Once, King Anga, unsuccessful in his attempt to perform a great religious sacrifice, addressed the brahmana priests, “Kindly tell me what offense I have committed. The demigods are neither taking part in the sacrifice nor accepting their shares.” In those days demigods, such as Indra, the god of heaven, would descend from higher planets to take part in rituals performed by saintly monarchs.
The head priests said, “O king, in this life we do not find any sinful activity, but we can see that in your previous life you performed sins due to which you have no son.” They then advised King Anga to pray to the Supreme Lord, who is superior to the demigods. They said that when Lord Vishnu would come to fulfill the king’s desire for a son, the demigods would accompany Him.
King Anga accepted this proposal; so the priests offered oblations to Lord Vishnu, who is seated in the hearts of all living entities as the Supersoul. Lord Vishnu is a direct expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna.
While King Anga was offering oblations into the sacred fire, a person wearing white robes and a golden garland appeared suddenly from the flames. He was carrying a golden pot filled with rice boiled in milk. Taking permission from the priests. King Anga offered a portion of the rice preparation to his wife, Sunitha.
The queen, who was the daughter of death personified, soon became pregnant by her husband and gave birth to a son. From the Vedic literature we learn that generally a daughter inherits the qualities other father, and a son inherits those of his mother. Accordingly, the son born to the good king Anga acquired the undesirable traits of his maternal grandfather.
The child’s name was Vena. As a youth he used to take his bow and arrows to the forest and kill innocent deer. He was so cruel that he would sometimes kill his playmates, as if they were animals. King Anga punished Vena to reform him, but he was unable to bring his son to the path of gentleness.
The king thought “Persons who have no son are certainly fortunate. They don’t have to suffer the unbearable unhappiness caused by a bad son.”
But then he considered, “A bad son is better than a good one. A bad son creates a hellish home from which an intelligent man becomes very easily detached.” According to Vedic civilization, the true purpose of life is to realize one’s eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord, Krishna. But if one becomes overly occupied with family duties, one can lose sight of this ultimate goal. Therefore the Vedas advise married persons to detach themselves from the burdensome duties of family life when they reach the age of fifty, so they can devote their remaining years to self- realization.
Thinking over all this. King Anga could not sleep, and in the dead of night he got up from bed and left the palace. He gave up all attraction for his opulent kingdom and, unseen by anyone, silently left for the forest.
When the citizens found out that King Anga had departed, they began to search for him. They could find no trace of him, however, and returned to the city, where all the sages of the country had assembled. With tears in their eyes, the citizens told the sages that they were unable to find the king anywhere.
With no one to maintain law and order, criminals began to disturb society. So the sages called for Queen Sunitha. and with her permission they installed her son, Vena, on the throne. All the ministers, however, disagreed with the decision of the sages. They knew that Vena was too severe and cruel to be a good ruler. And sure enough, as soon as Vena ascended the throne he became overwhelmed with pride. He mounted his chariot and, like an uncontrolled elephant, began to travel throughout the kingdom, causing the sky and earth to tremble wherever he went.
But even though Vena had many bad qualities, there was one thing to his credit—out of fear of him the thieves and rogues ceased their predatory acts.
At one point, however, King Vena forbade the brahmana priests to perform any more sacrifices. He stopped all kinds of religious rituals. Today this same policy is being carried out by atheistic governments all over the world. Even in America, where there is technically freedom of religion, the government has banned prayer from the public schools, outlawed the teaching of God-centered explanations of science, and legalized the killing of unborn children within the wombs of their mothers.
After observing King Vena’s atrocities, the sages concluded that the people of the world were in great danger. Although sages did not generally become involved in politics, the crisis was now too severe for them to ignore. Therefore they consulted among themselves about what to do.
The sages said. “We appointed this Vena king of the state to give protection to the citizens, but now he has become their enemy. But before we take action against him. let us first try to pacify him.”
Concealing their anger, the sages said. “Dear king, we have come to give you good advice. You should not be the cause of spoiling the spiritual life of the general populace. If you do so, you will certainly fall down from your royal position.”
King Vena proudly replied. “Those who out of gross ignorance do not worship the king, who is actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead, experience happiness neither in this world nor in the world after death. For this reason, O sages, you should abandon your envy of me and worship me.”
“This impious and impudent man does not deserve to sit on the throne at all.” declared the sages. “He is so shameless that he has dared to insult the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Then, without using any weapon other than sound, the sages killed King Vena.
Queen Sunitha became very much aggrieved at the sight of her dead son’s body and decided to preserve it by applying certain ingredients and chanting mantras.
Some time later the sages noticed that society was again in a state of chaos. Talking among themselves they said, “Since the king is dead, rogues and thieves have become active.” Although the sages could have immediately intervened to punish the criminals—as when they had killed King Vena—they decided not to use their special powers. They arrived at another solution.
The sages decided to produce another king—from the body of Vena, who despite his own bad qualities, was from a line of good kings. To do this they first generated an unsightly being called Bahuka from the lower part of Vena’s body. His complexion was dark, his eyes reddish. He immediately absorbed all the results of King Vena’s sinful activities.
From the upper part of Vena’s body the sages generated a male and a female empowered with potencies of the Supreme Lord. The male was an incarnation of the ruling potency of Lord Krishna, and the female an expansion of the goddess of fortune.
The sages said, “The male will be able to spread his reputation throughout the world. His name will be Prithu, and he will be the first among kings. The female has such beautiful qualities that she will beautify the ornaments she wears. Her name will be Arci, and she will accept King Prithu as her husband.”
Sages and demigods came to earth from all over the universe to witness Prithu’s coronation. King Prithu and Queen Arci, who were both exquisitely dressed, appeared as brilliant as fire. The demigods offered the new king many wonderful gifts.
Then professional reciters began to praise the king. But Prithu said. “O gentle reciters, offer such prayers in due course of time, when the qualities of which you have spoken actually manifest themselves in me.”
But instructed by the sages, the reciters continued to praise the king. They could understand his identity as an empowered representative of the Supreme Lord. In considering their descriptions of King Prithu’s qualities, we can gain insight into the character of a perfect ruler.
First the sages said that the king would himself follow religious principles and take steps to insure that the citizens would also follow them. He would punish the irreligious and the atheists. In the present age, we sometimes see that a government, in the name of a secular state, will allow people to freely engage in irreligious behavior. By committing sinful activities, such as eating meat gambling, taking intoxicants, and engaging in illicit sex aided by contraceptives and abortion, the population becomes implicated in the laws of karma and undergoes suffering in the form of wars, epidemics, famines, and so forth. In this way people suffer many miseries in this life and remain entrapped in the cycle of birth and death.
The reciters said the king would engage the population in performing sacrifice to the Supreme Lord and thus insure a plentiful supply of natural food and other resources. The modern industrial civilization does not actually provide the necessities of life. Food is produced in the Fields, by God’s arrangement and not in factories. The raw materials used in manufacturing—such as air, water, minerals, and oil—are all supplied by the Supreme Lord. When these natural gifts are taken without acknowledging their source and used simply for sense gratification, the Lord restricts the supply. We can acknowledge the source of these resources by sacrifice, and the sacrifice recommended in the Vedic scriptures for this age is the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. By performing this sacrifice, the population will enjoy adequate supplies of natural gifts for a simple life dedicated to the cultivation of spiritual knowledge.
The reciters then said that the king would fairly collect taxes and disburse them to the public in times of need, just as the sun-god evaporates water from the ocean and returns it to the earth in the form of rain. In the present age, however, burdensome taxes are always increasing and are spent on lavish salaries for government administrators. This unfair taxation makes people dishonest and they try to hide their income. Eventually the state will not be able to collect enough taxes to meet its huge military and administrative expenses. At that time. the whole economic system and governing apparatus will collapse. This is already beginning to occur.
The sages said the king would consider all living beings as dear to him as his own self. Today most heads of state are meat-eaters, as are their citizens. They advertise their concern for the welfare of others while allowing the slaughter of hundreds of millions of innocent creatures.
The sages then declared that King Prithu would be compared to a lion. Unless rogues and thieves are afraid of the chief executive, there cannot be peace and prosperity in the state. The sages also stated that the king would consider himself the servant of the devotees of the Lord and would rule his kingdom according to their good advice. He would also accept private spiritual instruction from them.
Upon accepting the throne. King Prithu had to confront many problems, including a scarcity of food grains. Many of the citizens had become skinny from starvation. Therefore they came before the king and said. “You are not only a king. but the incarnation of God as well. Therefore, O king of all kings, please arrange to satisfy our hunger.”
King Prithu determined that the people were not at fault; rather, for some reason the earth was withholding her bounty. He therefore threatened the earth deity, who, after worshiping King Prithu as an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, explained that she had been withholding her bounty because of the sinful activities of some of the population. Then, because of King Prithu’s intervention, she began to supply every living entity with its proper food.
The king then initiated a series of one hundred sacrifices. Lord Vishnu was pleased to appear at these sacrifices along with demigods and sages. In response the earth produced abundant supplies of all natural resources. When the heavenly king Indra saw the sacrifices, however, he feared that King Prithu would surpass him in fame and opulence. He therefore began to interfere with the sacrifices, and King Prithu prepared to take strong action against him. But on the advice of Lord Brahma, the chief of the demigods, he desisted.
Then Lord Vishnu appeared in the arena of sacrifice along with Indra and said, “My dear King Prithu, Indra, the king of heaven, has disturbed your execution of one hundred sacrifices. Now he has come with Me to be forgiven by you. Therefore excuse him.” King Prithu did as the Lord requested.
Lord Vishnu then said, “My dear King Prithu, if you continue to protect the citizens according to the instructions of the learned brahmana authorities, as they are received by disciplic succession—by hearing—from master to disciple, and if you follow the religious principles laid down by them, without attachment to ideas manufactured by mental concoction, then every one of your citizens will be happy and will love you, and very soon you will be able to see such already liberated personalities as the four Kumaras: Sanaka, Sanatana, Sananda, and Sanat-kumara.” King Prithu sincerely accepted the instructions of the Lord and offered Him devotional prayers. The Lord then departed for His own abode.
The king then entered the gates of his capital city, where he was welcomed by his joyous citizens. King Prithu advised his citizens to worship the Supreme Lord by engaging their minds, words, and bodies in His service along with the results of their occupational duties. He also advised them to obey and worship the pure devotees of the Lord, saying, “By regular service to the brahmanas and Vaishnavas, one can clear the dirt from his heart and thus enjoy supreme peace and liberation from material attachment.”
After hearing King Prithu speak so nicely, the sages, demigods, and citizens declared that sinful King Vena had been delivered from the darkest region of hellish life by the action of his son, King Prithu. The four Kumaras, who were as brilliant as the sun, then arrived there. Seeing the four sages descend from the sky, the king received them with proper respect and worship. The king asked the Kumaras how those in this material world could achieve the ultimate goal of life. Sanat-kumara replied:
It has been conclusively decided in the scriptures, after due consideration, that the ultimate goal for the welfare of human society is detachment from the bodily concept of life and increased and steadfast attachment for the Supreme Lord, who is transcendental and beyond the modes of material nature. One has to make progress in spiritual life by not associating with persons who are simply interested in making money and in sense gratification. One should mold his life in such a way that he cannot live in peace without drinking the nectar of the glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can be thus elevated by losing the taste for sense enjoyment.
Sanat-kumara requested the king to always engage in devotional service to the Supreme Lord. King Prithu obeyed this instruction, and thus even though surrounded by royal opulence, he was able to lead a life of detachment and spiritual advancement.
By his wife Arci, Prithu begot five sons. He pleased the citizens by his rule and became famous all over the universe for his good qualities. At the end of his life, he transferred power to his sons and left with his wife for the forest, where he strictly followed the regulations of retired life. He underwent severe austerities just as seriously as he had governed the state. He ate only leaves and fruit and eventually subsisted only upon air. Queen Arci assisted him in his practice of austerities. Because other pleasure in serving her exalted husband, she felt no difficulty in the forest.
By performing austerities Prithu became steadfast in spiritual life, worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead twenty-four hours a day. In due course of time, Prithu Maharaja was able to fix his mind firmly upon the lotus feet of Krishna. Practicing the mystic yoga system, he raised his soul to the top of his skull. After merging the various elements of his body with the totality of the natural elements, he gave up his body.
Queen Arci took the body of her husband and placed it on a fiery pyre on the top of a hill. Srila Prabhupada comments, “The queen was aware that her husband was not dead…. When a living entity transfers from one body to another, a process generally known as death, a sane man does not lament, for he knows that the living entity is not dead but is simply transferred from one body to another.”
After placing her husband’s body in the fire, she herself entered the flames. Observing the devoted queen’s brave act, the demigods and their wives showered flowers and offered prayers. The wives of the demigods said, “All glories to Queen Arci. Just see how this chaste lady, Arci, by dint of her inconceivable pious activities, is still following her husband upwards, as far as we can see.”
King Prithu and Queen Arci ascended to the spiritual world, Vaikuntha, in spiritual airplanes. They ascended in spiritual bodies, their material bodies having been consumed by the fire of the funeral pyre.
The sage Maitreya, narrating this history in the Srimad- Bhagavatam, said, “Any person who describes the great characteristics of King Prithu with faith and determination—whether he reads of them himself or helps others to hear of them—is certain to attain the very planet Maharaja Prithu attained. In other words, such a person also returns home to the Vaikuntha planets, back to Godhead.”
The story of Prithu
OM! Glory to Vasudeva! Victory be to you, Pundarikaksha; adoration be to you, Vishvabhavana; glory be to you, Hrishikesha, Mahapurusha, and Purvaja.
Maitreya said,
“Best of Munis, tell me why was the right hand of Vena rubbed by the holy sages, in consequence of which the heroic Prithu was produced.”
Parashara said,
“Sunitha was originally the daughter of Mrityu, by whom she was given to Anga to wife. She bore him Vena, who inherited the evil propensities of his maternal grandfather. When he was inaugurated by the Rishis monarch of the earth, he caused it to be every where proclaimed, that no worship should be performed, no oblations offered, no gifts bestowed upon the Brahmans. He said,
“I, the king, am the lord of sacrifice; for who but I am entitled to the oblations.”
The Rishis, respectfully approaching the sovereign, addressed him in melodious accents, and said,
“Gracious prince, we salute you; hear what we have to represent. For the preservation of your kingdom and your life, and for the benefit of all your subjects, permit us to worship Hari, the lord of all sacrifice, the god of gods, with solemn and protracted rites; a portion of the fruit of which will revert to you. Vishnu, the god of oblations, being propitiated with sacrifice by us, will grant you, Oh king, all your desires. Those princes have all their wishes gratified, in whose realms Hari, the lord of sacrifice, is adored with sacrificial rites.”
Vena exclaimed,
“Who is superior to me? who besides me is entitled to worship? who is this Hari, whom you style the lord of sacrifice? Brahma, Janardana. Shambhu, Indra, Vayu, Ravi (the sun), Hutabhuk (fire), Varuna, Dhata, Pusha, (the sun), Bhumi (earth), the lord of night (the moon); all these, and whatever other gods there be who listen to our vows; all these are present in the person of a king: the essence of a sovereign is all that is divine. Conscious of this, I have issued my commands, and look that you obey them. You are not to sacrifice, not to offer oblations, not to give alms. As the first duty of women is obedience to their lords, so observance of my orders is incumbent, holy men, on you.”
The Rishis replied,
“Give command, great king, that piety may suffer no decrease. All this world is but a transmutation of oblations; and if devotion be suppressed, the world is at an end.”
But Vena was entreated in vain; and although this request was repeated by the sages, he refused to give the order they suggested. Then those pious Munis were filled with wrath, and cried out to each other,
“Let this wicked wretch be slain. The impious man who has reviled the god of sacrifice who is without beginning or end, is not fit to reign over the earth.”
And they fell upon the king, and beat him with blades of holy grass, consecrated by prayer, and slew him, who had first been destroyed by his impiety towards god.
Afterwards the Munis beheld a great dust arise, and they said to the people who were nigh, “What is this?” and the people answered and said,
“Now that the kingdom is without a king, the dishonest men have begun to seize the property of their neighbours. The great dust that you behold, excellent Munis, is raised by troops of clustering robbers, hastening to fall upon their prey.”
The sages, hearing this, consulted, and together rubbed the thigh of the king, who had left no offspring, to produce a son. From the thigh, thus rubbed, came forth a being of the complexion of a charred stake, with flattened features (like a negro), and of dwarfish stature. “What am I to do?” cried he eagerly to the Munis. “Sit down” (Nishida), said they; and thence his name was Nishada. His descendants, the inhabitants of the Vindhya mountain, great Muni, are still called Nishadas, and are characterized by the exterior tokens of depravity. By this means the wickedness of Vena was expelled; those Nishadas being born of his sins, and carrying them away.
The Brahmans then proceeded to rub the right arm of the king, from which friction was engendered the illustrious son of Vena, named Prithu, resplendent in person, as if the blazing deity of Fire bad been manifested.
There then fell from the sky the primitive bow (of Mahadeva) named Ajagava, and celestial arrows, and panoply from heaven. At the birth of Prithu all living creatures rejoiced; and Vena, delivered by his being born from the hell named Put, ascended to the realms above. The seas and rivers, bringing jewels from their depths, and water to perform the ablutions of his installation, appeared. The great parent of all, Brahma, with the gods and the descendants of Angiras (the fires), and with all things animate or inanimate, assembled and performed the ceremony of consecrating the son of Vena. Beholding in his right hand the (mark of the) discus of Vishnu, Brahma recognised a portion of that divinity in Prithu, and was much pleased; for the mark of Vishnu’s discus is visible in the hand of one who is born to be a universal emperor, one whose power is invincible even by the gods.
The mighty Prithu, the son of Vena, being thus invested with universal dominion by those who were skilled in the rite, soon removed the grievances of the people whom his father had oppressed, and from winning their affections he derived the title of Raja, or king. The waters became solid, when he traversed the ocean: the mountains opened him a path: his banner passed unbroken (through the forests): the earth needed not cultivation; and at a thought food was prepared: all kine were like the cow of plenty: honey was stored in every flower. At the sacrifice of the birth of Prithu, which was performed by Brahma, the intelligent Suta (herald or bard) was produced, in the juice of the moon-plant, on the very birth-day: at that great sacrifice also was produced the accomplished Magadha: and the holy sages said to these two persons,
“Praise you the king Prithu, the illustrious son of Vena; for this is your especial function, and here is a fit subject for your praise.”
But they respectfully replied to the Brahmans,
“We know not the acts of the new-born king of the earth; his merits are not understood by us; his fame is not spread abroad: inform us upon what subject we may dilate in his praise.”
The Rishis said,
“Praise the king for the acts this heroic monarch will perform; praise him for the virtues he will display.”
The king, hearing these words, was much pleased, and reflected that persons acquire commendation by virtuous actions, and that consequently his virtuous conduct would be the theme of the eulogium which the bards were about to pronounce: whatever merits, then, they should panegyrize in their encomium, he determined that he would endeavour to acquire; and if they should point out what faults ought to be avoided, he would try to shun them. He therefore listened attentively, as the sweet-voiced encomiasts celebrated the future virtues of Prithu, the enlightened son of Vena.
“The king is a speaker of truth, bounteous, an observer of his promises; he is wise, benevolent, patient, valiant, and a terror to the wicked; he knows his duties; he acknowledges services; he is compassionate and kind-spoken; he respects the venerable; he performs sacrifices; he reverences the Brahmans; he cherishes the good; and in administering justice is indifferent to friend or foe.”
The virtues thus celebrated by the Suta and the Magadha were cherished in the remembrance of the Raja, and practised by him when occasion arose. Protecting this earth, the monarch performed many great sacrificial ceremonies, accompanied by liberal donations. His subjects soon approached him, suffering from the famine by which they were afflicted, as all the edible plants had perished during the season of anarchy. In reply to his question of the cause of their coming, they told him, that in the interval in which the earth was without a king all vegetable products had been withheld, and that consequently the people had perished. They said,
“You are the bestower of subsistence to us; you are appointed, by the creator, the protector of the people: grant us vegetables, the support of the lives of your subjects, who are perishing with hunger.”
On hearing this, Prithu took up his divine bow Ajagava, and his celestial arrows, and in great wrath marched forth to assail the Earth. Earth, assuming the figure of a cow, fled hastily from him, and traversed, through fear of the king, the regions of Brahma and the heavenly spheres; but wherever went the supporter of living things, there she beheld Vainya with uplifted weapons: at last, trembling with terror, and anxious to escape his arrows, the Earth addressed Prithu, the hero of resistless prowess. The Earth said,
“Know you not, king of men, the sin of killing a female, that you thus perseveringly seek to slay me.”
The prince replied;
“When the happiness of many is secured by. the destruction of one malignant being, the death of that being is an act of virtue.”
The Earth said,
“But, if, in order to promote the welfare of your subjects, you put an end to me, whence, best of monarchs, will your people derive their support.”
Prithu rejoined,
“Disobedient to my rule, if I destroy you, I will support my people by the efficacy of my own devotions.”
Then the Earth, overcome with apprehension, and trembling in every limb, respectfully saluted the king, and thus spoke:
“All undertakings are successful, if suitable means of effecting them are employed. I will impart to you means of success, which you can make use of if you please. All vegetable products are old, and destroyed by me; but at your command I will restore them, as developed from my milk. Do you therefore, for the benefit of mankind, most virtuous of princes, give me that calf, by which I may be able to secrete milk. Make also all places level, so that I may cause my milk, the seed of all vegetation, to flow every where around.”
Prithu accordingly uprooted the mountains, by hundreds and thousands, for myriads of leagues, and they were thenceforth piled upon one another. Before his time there were no defined boundaries of villages or towns, upon the irregular surface of the earth; there was no cultivation, no pasture, no agriculture, no highway for merchants: all these things (or all civilization) originated in the reign of Prithu. Where the ground was made level, the king induced his subjects to take up their abode. Before his time, also, the fruits and roots which constituted the food of the people were procured with great difficulty, all vegetables having been destroyed; and he therefore, having made Swayambhuva Manu the calf, milked the Earth, and received the milk into his own hand, for the benefit of mankind. Thence proceeded all kinds of corn and vegetables upon which people subsist now and perpetually. By granting life to the Earth, Prithu was as her father, and she thence derived the patronymic appellation Prithiví (the daughter of Prithu). Then the gods, the sages, the demons, the Rakshasas, the Gandharvas, Yakshas, Pitris, serpents, mountains, and trees, took a milking vessel suited to their kind, and milked the earth of appropriate milk, and the milker and the calf were both peculiar to their own species.
This Earth, the mother, the nurse, the receptacle, and nourisher of all existent things, was produced from the sole of the foot of Vishnu. And thus was born the mighty Prithu, the heroic son of Vena, who was the lord of the earth, and who, from conciliating the affections of the people, was the first ruler to whom the title of Raja was ascribed. Whoever shall recite this story of the birth of Prithu, the son of Vena, shall never suffer any retribution for the evil he may have committed: and such is the virtue of the tale of Prithu’s birth, that those who hear it repeated shall be relieved from affliction.
Prithu had two valiant sons, Antarddhi and Pali. The son of Antarddhana, by his wife Skikhandini, was Havirdhana, to whom Dhishana, a princess of the race of Agni, bore six sons, Prachinabarhis, Shukra, Gaya, Krishna, Vraja, and Ajina. The first of these was a mighty prince and patriarch, by whom mankind was multiplied after the death of Havirdhana. He was called Prachinabarhis from his placing upon the earth the sacred grass, pointing to the east. At the termination of a rigid penance the married Savarna, the daughter of the ocean, who had been previously betrothed to him, and who had by the king ten sons, who were all styled Prachetasas, and were skilled in military science: they all observed the same duties, practised religious austerities, and remained immersed in the bed of the sea for ten thousand years.”
King Prithu in Hinduism
King Prithu is one of sixteen exalted kings referred in Hinduism. His stories are found in the Puranas and his greatness is mentioned in the Drona Parva (69) and Shanti Parva (29.132) in the Mahabharata.
The story of Prithu milking the earth for the welfare of all living beings is found in the Vedas, Puranas and Epics.
As per Satapatha Brahmana, Prithu was the first crowned king on Earth, after whom the Earth has gone by the name Prithvi. It is for this reason that the ritual forming the part o the ceremony of crowning of a king is called partha homa (oblation of Prithu).
King Prithu, was the son of Vena, and is believed to be the one who commenced the system of kingship. This detail is found in Satapatha Brahmana (5.4), Taittiriya Brahmana (2.7.5.1), Bhumi Khanda of Padma Purana (28.21) and Katha Samhita (37.4).
As he started the system of kingship he is referred to as Adiraja (first king), Prathama-nrpa, Rajendra, Rajaraja, Chakravarti, Vidhata and Prajapati. As he is the son of Vena, he is also known as Vainya.
As per Vishnu Purana (1.13) and Shanti Parva of Mahabharata (29.132), Prithu treated the Earth as a divine cow or daughter and on this account Earth came to be known as Prithukanya and Prithvi.
As per Hinduism, Prithu was the founder of agricultural and urban systems.
He helped people to lead a settled life and form communal habitations.
He taught people to live as a family to form communities.
He founded tribes, villages, towns, cities and forts.
He taught people to use natural resources. He taught them farming and the use of plants and grains. He helped them with the knowledge of metals, minerals, precious stones, milk, domestication of animals etc.
He taught them arts and stories.
He established the system of law and order based on dharma, promulgated the practice of punishment, and protection of the subjects, thus earning the epithets of protector and king who pleased the subjects. (Mahabharata Shanti Parva 59.104-140).
As per Atharvaveda (8.28), King Prithu as the representative of the human race, adopted the procedure of agriculture and obtained crops as a result of milking earth.
As per Shanti Parva of Mahabharata (29.129), Prithu was crowned king in the maharanya or dandakaranya and on the occasion Devas presented him with a bow and an
inexhaustible quiver of arrows, a golden crown, a golden throne, a royal staff, an armor, a discus, a sword a chariot, and a conch.
As king he performed the famous Ashwamedha Yajna.
Prithu’s vow as king was to set aside his own likes and dislikes, to treat all beings as equal, not to be swayed by sensuality, anger, greed, and ego, to punish the criminals and to enhance spirituality (Mahabharata, Shanti Parva 59.109-116)
Source – notes taken from Encyclopedia of Hinduism Volume VIII page 288 – 289
Why King Prithu chased earth goddess & why earth is called prithvi?
King Prithu is celebrated as the first consecrated (dedicated to God) king. He is also considered as the first chakravartin (the universal ruler). He is also known as Pruthu, Prithi, and Prithu Vainya, literally, Prithu — the son of Vena.
Birth of Prithu:
He was the son of King Vena. He was born without female intervention i.e. he was ayo-Jina (born without the participation of yoni). Consequently, he is untouched by desire and ego and can control his senses.
King Vena was the descendant of Dhruva. He was an evil king, who did not respect dharma. He neglected Vedic rituals. Due to this, the rishis (sages) killed Vena. King Vena has no children. Thus he has no successor.
The kingdom was in famine due to the evilness of Vena. To give the kingdom its new ruler, who will bring prosperity to its people and the whole of humanity, they churned out the dead body of King Vena.
Prithu appears from the right arm of Vena’s corpse
As a result of churning first appears a nasty looking creature. A dark dwarf hunter, a symbol of Vena’s evil. He was driven to the forest. Now the dead body of Vena, free from sins becomes pure. On further churning, Prithu emerged from the right arm of the corpse.
An incarnation of Lord Vishnu:
He has a symbol of lotus in his palm and foot. And a symbol of chakra on his hand. That’s why he is also said to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
The story of King Prithu chasing Earth goddess:
According to Bhagavata Purana, after the coronation of Prithu by Brahmins, he was made the Emperor. At that time, there was famine everywhere. He came to know that mother earth has hidden food, medicine, wealth, etc. in her abdomen. He asked the earth to release her fruits (wealth) for the welfare of humanity. Earth refuses and ran away in the form of a cow.
Prithu chasing earth, who fled away in the form of a cow
King chasing earth, who fled away in the form of a cow
To end this famine by slaying earth and getting her fruits, he chased earth who fled away in the form of a cow. He raised his bow, ran after the earth, and subdued her by threatening to shoot her.
When earth saw there is nobody who can save her from him, she came into his auspice. Earth states that killing her would mean the end of his subjects too. Prithu lowered his weapons, reassured her that he would uphold dharma, and promised her to be her guardian.
He then milked her using Manu as a calf and received all vegetables, grains, wealth, etc. as her milk for the welfare of humanity.
Why is the earth also called Prithvi?
By granting life to the earth and being her protector, he became Earth’s father and that’s why Earth came to be known as Prithvi, daughter of Prithu.
However, Manu Smriti considers Prithvi as Prithu’s wife and not his daughter. Thus suggesting the name Prithvi as named after her husband, Prithu.
In the Hindu scriptures, it is mentioned that whenever evil triumphs over good, or whenever darkness takes over the light (truth), or unjust rules over justice, then Lord Vishnu will take birth on earth in order to restore Dharma (righteousness). These forms of Lord Vishnu have been originally mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, and on a total, Lord Vishnu took 24 incarnations on earth, to fight over the evil, and guide people on the right path.
Here are the list of Vishnu Avatars and how he took different forms to fight against the evil ,from time to time.
1 Adi Purush – Primary avatar of Lord Vishnu
2 Four Kumars – First four conscious beings created by Lord Brahma
3 Narada– Narada is the son of Lord Bramha and is a big devotee of Lord Vishnu.
4 Nara Narayana – Nara and Narayana are the two twin sage avatars of Lord Vishnu.
5 Kapila– Kapila is described as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu
6 Dattatreya– Dattatreya is the God who is an incarnation of the Divine Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Siva
7 Yajna- a ritual where the fire is lighted and sacrifice is made to make wishes to the deities
8 Rishabha– Rishabha was a preacher and a spiritual leader
9 Prithu– Prithu was the first sacred king
10 Dhanvantari- Dhanvantari-Dhanavantari is the god who emerged, holding a pot of Amrit in his hand
11 Mohini– Mohini is a female avatar of Vishnu.
12 Hayagreeva– He has a fair man’s body, with the head of a horse.
13 Vyasa- He authored Mahabharata
14 Matsya– Matsya is known to ve the half fish, and a half-human form of Lord Vishnu.
15 Kurma– Kurma is the half tortoise half-man form of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu took the Kurma avatar during the Samudramanthan (churning of the ocean).
16 Varaha – Varaha is the half man and half boar avatar of Vishnu
17 Narsimha – Narsimha is the half lion and a half-human avatar of Vishnu.
18 Vamana- This avatar of Lord Vishnu comes to check the growing power of the demonic king Mahabali,
19 Parshuram – He is depicted as a sage with an axe in his hand.
20 Rama – Ram assumes an earthly form (avatar) to defeat the wicked and protect his devotees.
21 Balrama – Balarama appears in Mahabharata as the elder brother of Krishna
22 Krishna – Lord Vishnu incarnated as Krishna killed many demons and evil kings in the nearby kingdoms, to his birthplace.
23 Buddha – Adopting Buddha into the Hindu pantheon was a way of trying to neutralize the popularity of Buddhism.
24 Kalki– Kalki is the only avatar of Vishnu that is yet to be born.
Adi Purush
Adi Purush is the first and the primary avatar of Lord Vishnu. Also known as Lord Narayana, he is depicted laying on the curls of a serpent. He is the source of all creation in the universe. The all-powerful; it is from his navel that the lotus sprouts, where Brahma resides. According to Hindu mythology, he is depicted in yellow garments, has four hands and in one hand he has Sudarshan chakra. He sleeps on the curls of a serpent, Sheshnag. Vishnu is also considered as the main source for the creation of this universe because the Lord Bramha, creator of the universe, came into existence through his naval.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu – Four Kumars
Four Kumars
Four Kumars were the first four conscious beings created by Lord Brahma. Named Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanat Kumara, they appeared like infants and their purpose was to assist Brahma in the creation of life.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu- Narada
Narada
Narada is the son of Lord Bramha and is a big devotee of Lord Vishnu. He is depicted in the form of a sage who has a khartal and tambura in his hands. According to Hindu Mythology. Narada has this special ability to travel between realms in moments. A storyteller and musician, often he is considered as the messenger of the gods and the first journalist.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu -Nara Narayana
Nara Narayana
Nara and Narayana are the two twin sage avatars of Lord Vishnu. They were born to ensure truth, justice, righteousness, and other elements of Dharma on Earth. The brothers were so mighty that they were able to overpower Pashupathastra, a destructive weapon of Shiva, through their meditation.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu – Kapila
Kapila
According to Hindu mythology, Kapila is described as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was born on earth to restore the balance of Dharma through his teachings.He is said to have founded the Samkhya School of Philosophy. Samkhya is the formula for gaining knowledge, which includes perception, inference, and testimony of the sources.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Dattatraya
Dattatreya
Once Goddess Lakshmi Parvati and Saraswati became extremely proud of their ancestors. God created Leela to destroy their ego. According to him, one day Naradji reached Devlok while wandering around and told the three ladies in turn that your saintliness was nothing in front of Anusiya, the wife of sage Atri. The three goddesses told this thing to their husbands and asked them to test the rituals of Anusia. Then Lord Shankar, Vishnu and Brahma came to the ashram of Atri Muni dressed as a monk. Maharishi Atri was not in the ashram at that time. The three asked for alms to the goddess Anusiya, but also said that you have to give alms to us without getting naked. At first Anusiya was shocked to hear this, but then fearing that the sadhus should not be insulted, she remembered her husband and said that if my religion is true, then these three sadhus should become children of six months. As soon as he said this, Tridev started crying as an infant. Then Anusuiya became a mother and breastfed them with her arms and started swinging in the cradle. When the three gods did not return to their places, the ladies were distraught. Then Narada came there and told the whole thing. The three goddesses came to Anusalya and apologized. Then the goddess Anusuiya made Trideva in her former form. Pleased, Tridev gave him a boon that all three of us would be born as sons from your womb. Then Moon was born from the part of Brahma, Durvasa from the part of Shankara and Dattatreya from the part of Vishnu
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu- Yajana
Yajna
Also known as Yajneshwara, he is the personification of Yajna, a ritual where the fire is lighted and sacrifice is made to make wishes to the deities. In few texts, Indra, the king of gods, has also been referred to as Yajna. Yagya was born in Sawayambhuva Manvantara to protect it, As per the story,Akuti was borb from the womb of Shatrupa, the wife of Swayambhuva Manu.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Rishabha
Rishabha
Rishabha was a preacher and a spiritual leader. He is considered as the founder of Jainism. It was believed that he had escaped the cycle of birth and death and used to guide people to the path of salvation.Maharaja Naveli had no children. For this reason he performed a yajna with his wife Merudevi, wishing for a son. Pleased with the sacrifice, Lord Vishnu himself appeared and gave a boon to Maharaj Nabhi that I will be born here as a son. After some time, Lord Vishnu Maharaj was born as a boon in the form of a son. Seeing the son’s exceedingly well-structured body, fame, oil, strength, opulence, fame, might and valor, etc., Maharaj Nabhi named him Rishabh (superior).
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Prithu
Prithu
Prithu was the first sacred king. He is the one responsible for all the greenery, and the cultivation of all the crops, on the face of the earth. He dedicated his life to the service of God and taught people the ways of religion. Prajapati named Anga was married to Sunitha. He had a son named Wayne. He refused to believe in God and asked to worship himself. Then the Maharishi slaughtered him with the mantra pot. Then the Maharishi churned the arms of the sonless King Ven, from whom a son named Prithu was born. Seeing the lotus sign in the circle and feet in the right hand of Prithu, the sages told that the fraction of Shrihari himself has descended in the guise of Prithu.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Dhanvantaria
Dhanvantaria
Dhanavantari is the god who emerged, holding a pot of Amrit (nectar of immortality) in his hand, after the gods and the demons finished churning the ocean. He is also known as the god of Ayurveda and is worshipped for gaining sound health. Dhanvantri. He is also considered as the master of medicines. As per story, when the gods and the demons together churned the ocean, the first poisonous poison came out of it which was consumed by Lord Shiva. After this, uchhashrava horse, Goddess Lakshmi, Airavat elephant, Kalpa tree, Apsaras and many other gems came out of the ocean churning. At the end, Lord Dhanvantari appeared with the nectarurn.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Mohini
Mohini
Mohini is a female avatar of Vishnu. She tricked the demons into handing her the Amrit, which they forcefully took from the gods after the churning of the ocean. She, then, distributed it among the gods. Vishnu as Mohini was also responsible to cut off the head of Rahu with Sudarshan chakra which is today famous as the 2 planets in Jyotish Shastra as Rahu and Ketu.during samundra manthan, asuras and devas started fighting for amrit (nectar). Then Lord Vishnu incarnated Mohini to fascinate everyone. Mohini said, I will make devas and demons drink the nectar. Both agreed. The gods sat on one side and the demons on the other side. Then Lord Vishnu, who was in the form of Mohini, started singing and distributing nectar to the gods and demons. In reality, amrit was drinking only devas, while the demons were thinking that they were also drinking nectar.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Hayagreeva
Hayagreeva
Hayagreeva is worshipped as the god of wisdom and knowledge . He has a fair man’s body, with the head of a horse. He restored to light and wisdom, and defeated darkness, by retrieving the Vedas that had been stolen by demons known as Madhu and Kaitaba.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu- Vyasa
Vyasa
Also known as Veda Vyasa, he is an immortal sage who is considered responsible for the compilation and composition of many Vedas. He authored Mahabharata, and also introduced himself as a character in it, the father of Pandu and Dhritarashtra.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu- Matsya
Matsya Avatar
King Satyavrat was giving Jalanjali a bath in the river one day. Suddenly a small fish came to his Anjali. When he thought to put it back in the ocean, but that fish said – you don’t put me in the ocean, otherwise big fish will eat me. Then King Satyavrat kept the fish in his kamandal. When the fish became bigger, the king kept it in his lake, and then on seeing it, the fish became bigger. The king understood that this is not an ordinary creature. The king pleaded with the fish to come in real form. Hearing the king’s prayer, the lord Vishnu appeared, and said that this is my mermaid. God told Satyavrat – listen King Satyavrat! There will be a catastrophe seven days from today. Then a huge boat will come to you with my inspiration. Take the subtle body of sapta sages, medicines, seeds and creatures and sit in it, when your boat starts to waver, then I will come to you as a fish. At that time you tie that boat with my horn by Vasuki Nag. At that time, I will answer you by asking questions, so that my glory which is known by the name of Parabrahma will be revealed in your heart. Then, when the time came the fishery god Vishnu preached philosophy to King Satyavrat, who is famous by the name Matsyapuran.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Kurma
Kurma Avatar
Once Maharishi Durvasa cursed Indra, the king of the gods, to dehumanize him. When Indra went to Lord Vishnu, he asked him to churn the ocean. Then Indra agreed to churn the ocean together with the demons and gods. To churn the sea, the Mandarachal Mountain was made a churner and Nagraj Vasuki was netted. The gods and demons, forgetting their differences, uprooted Mandarachal and took him towards the sea, but they could not take him far. Then Lord Vishnu placed Mandarachal on the beach. The gods and demons made Mandarachal into the sea and made Nagaraja Vasuki a leader. But due to no base below Mandarachal, he started drowning in the sea. Seeing this, Lord Vishnu took the form of a giant kurma (turtle) and became the basis of Mandarachal in the sea. Mandarachal starte moving fast on the huge back of Lord Kurma and thus the sea churning was completed.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Varaha
Varaha Avatar
Varaha is the half man and half boar avatar of Vishnu. In Hindu dharma, he slays the demon Hiranyaksha to save Bhudevi, the personification of earth, and restores her back to the surface from a sinking state using his tusks.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Narsimha
Narsimha
Narsimha is the half lion and a half-human avatar of Vishnu. He was born to end the reign of the demonic king Hiranya Kashyap and establish peace, order, righteousness, and other elements of dharma on earth. Lord Vishnu took his fifteenth incarnation as Narisimha, having upper body in the form of lion and the lower resembling of a man. In this incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Narasimha protected Prahlada from his father Hiranyakashipu, the demon. He killed Hiranyakashipu by tearing his body apart by his nails. Lord Vishnu had to attain this form because Lord Brahma had blessed Hiranyakashipu, that a Human being could not kill him.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Vamana
Vamana
Vamana was a bramin. This avatar of lord Vishnu comes and checks the growing power of the king Mahabali by tricking him during a sacrificing ceremony when Bali the king of demons had captured the entire three worlds. To help the deities regain control over the heaven, Lord Vishnu disguised as a dwarf went to Bali when he was busy performing a ‘Yagya’ and demanded earth measured by his three steps. When ‘Bali’ agreed, he transformed his form from a small dwarf to a giant. Consequently he covered all three worlds with his two steps. Ultimately he regained heaven for the deities.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Parshurama
Parshuram
Parshuram is a Brahmin Kshatriya. He is depicted as a sage with an axe in his hand. He was born to end the tyranny of the evil Kshatriyas, who misused their powers and made others’ lives miserable and bring them to justice.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu- Rama
Rama
Lord Rama is one of the most significant and powerful deities of Hindu dharma and the lead character of the epic Ramayana. He kills the evil king Ravana to end his terrorizing rule, and to free his wife Sita, whom Ravana had kidnapped.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Balarama
Balarama
Balarama appears in Mahabharata as the elder brother of Krishna.He is known for his strength, for carrying a plow and was Duryodhana and Bhima’s guru in teaching the ‘Gada’ (the weapon). He shares many adventures with Krishna, which includes bringing a tyrannical ruler Kansa to justice.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu- Krishna
Krishna
Lord Krishna is yet another major form of Vishnu. He is known to end the reign of his tyrannical maternal uncle Kansa, and for his role as the advisor or the Pandavas and the charioteer and guide of Arjuna in Mahabharata.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Buddha
Buddha
Buddha was Born in Lumbini as Siddhartha Gautam, He is later known as Gautam Buddha who left his family and all material possession in search of enlightenment. He founded Buddhism and taught people ways to end all kinds of suffering through Noble Eightfold Paths.
24 Avatars of Lord Vishnu-Kalki
Kalki
Kalki is the only avatar of Vishnu that is yet to be born. It is said that he will end all evil by defeating the demon Kali and start a new elements personified into one. Kalki is depicted as a warrior riding a Satyayuga or Kalkiyuga. Kali is all the negative emotions and white horse and holding a shining sword. Despite the difference in form, or time, all his incarnations had one common goal, i.e. to end all evil and to re-establish Dharma, the path to salvation. It is for this reason that Lord Vishnu is known as the protector and preserver of the universe.