राम

Harivaṃśa-parva

Harivaṃśa · Adhyāya 6

49 versesThe Milking of the Earth

Synopsis

Pṛthu opens with a piece of dharma-śāstra: the killing of one that destroys in order to save many is not sin but merit. Armed with this, Pṛthu prepares to strike the fleeing earth. The earth takes the form of a cow and asks for a calf and a milker. The chapter becomes a great cosmic ritual: the devas milk her for nectar, the ṛṣis for Veda, the pitṛs for svadhā, the brahmins for austerity, the kṣatriyas for strength, the vaiśyas for wealth, the śūdras for service. Each class receives from the earth what it can receive. "Why say more?" the sage asks, having named all the vessels.

First-pass synopsis; pending review by a Sanskritist.

Verse commentary below

Pṛthu Milks the Earth: The Various Nourishments: Verses 1, 7, 15, 20, 25, 40, 45: the principle that one's death for the good of many is puṇya, Pṛthvī asking Pṛthu to find a vatsa (calf) so she can yield milk, men nourished by crops 'even today', pitṛs drawing svadhā in a silver vessel, asuras drawing māyā in an iron vessel, Pṛthvī named after Pṛthu because she became his daughter, and warriors reverencing the ādirāja before battle. Template commentary, pending Editorial Council review.

Verse 1

एकस्यार्थाय यो हन्याद् आत्मनो वा परस्य वा बहून् वै प्राणिनो लोके भवेत् तस्येह पातकम्

ekasyārthāya yo hanyād ātmano vā parasya vā bahūn vai prāṇino loke bhavet tasyeha pātakam

He who, for the sake of one thing — his own or another's — slays many beings in this world incurs guilt for it here.

Verse 2

सुखम् एधन्ति बहवो यस्मिंस् तु निहते शुभे तस्मिन् हते नास्ति भद्रे पातकं नोपपातकम्

sukham edhanti bahavo yasmiṃs tu nihate śubhe tasmin hate nāsti bhadre pātakaṃ nopapātakam

Verse 3

एकस्मिन् यत्र निधनं प्रापिते दुष्टकारिणि बहूनां भवति क्षेमं तत्र पुण्यप्रदो वधः सो ऽहं प्रजानिमित्तं त्वां हनिष्यामि वसुंधरे यदि मे वचनं नाद्य करिष्यसि जगद्धितम्

ekasmin yatra nidhanaṃ prāpite duṣṭakāriṇi bahūnāṃ bhavati kṣemaṃ tatra puṇyaprado vadhaḥ so 'haṃ prajānimittaṃ tvāṃ haniṣyāmi vasuṃdhare yadi me vacanaṃ nādya kariṣyasi jagaddhitam

Verse 4

त्वां निहत्याद्य बाणेन मच्छासनपराङ्मुखीम् आत्मानं प्रथयित्वाहं प्रजा धारयिता स्वयम्

tvāṃ nihatyādya bāṇena macchāsanaparāṅmukhīm ātmānaṃ prathayitvāhaṃ prajā dhārayitā svayam

Verse 5

सा त्वं शासनम् आस्थाय मम धर्मभृतां वरे संजीवय प्रजाः सर्वाः समर्था ह्य् असि धारणे

sā tvaṃ śāsanam āsthāya mama dharmabhṛtāṃ vare saṃjīvaya prajāḥ sarvāḥ samarthā hy asi dhāraṇe

Verse 6

दुहितृत्वं च मे गच्छ तत एनम् अहं शरम् नियच्छेयं त्वद्वधार्थम् उद्यतं घोरदर्शनम्

duhitṛtvaṃ ca me gaccha tata enam ahaṃ śaram niyaccheyaṃ tvadvadhārtham udyataṃ ghoradarśanam

Verse 7

सर्वम् एतद् अहं वीर विधास्यामि न संशयः वत्सं तु मम तं पश्य क्षरेयं येन वत्सला

sarvam etad ahaṃ vīra vidhāsyāmi na saṃśayaḥ vatsaṃ tu mama taṃ paśya kṣareyaṃ yena vatsalā

Verse 8

समां च कुरु सर्वत्र मां त्वं धर्मभृतां वर यथा विष्यन्दमानं मे क्षीरं सर्वत्र भावयेत्

samāṃ ca kuru sarvatra māṃ tvaṃ dharmabhṛtāṃ vara yathā viṣyandamānaṃ me kṣīraṃ sarvatra bhāvayet

Verse 9

तत उत्सारयामास शिलाः शतसहस्रशः धनुष्कोट्या तदा वैन्यस् तेन शैला विवर्धिताः

tata utsārayāmāsa śilāḥ śatasahasraśaḥ dhanuṣkoṭyā tadā vainyas tena śailā vivardhitāḥ

Verse 10

पृथुर् वैन्यस् तदा राजा महीं चक्रे समां ततः मन्वन्तरेष्व् अतीतेषु विषम् आसीद् वसुंधरा स्वभावेनाभवंस् तस्या समानि विषमाणि च चाक्षुषस्यान्तरे पूर्वम् आसीद् एवं तदा किल न हि पूर्वविसर्गे वै विषमे पृथिवीतले प्रविभागः पुराणां वा ग्रामाणां वा तदाभवत्

pṛthur vainyas tadā rājā mahīṃ cakre samāṃ tataḥ manvantareṣv atīteṣu viṣam āsīd vasuṃdharā svabhāvenābhavaṃs tasyā samāni viṣamāṇi ca cākṣuṣasyāntare pūrvam āsīd evaṃ tadā kila na hi pūrvavisarge vai viṣame pṛthivītale pravibhāgaḥ purāṇāṃ vā grāmāṇāṃ vā tadābhavat

Verse 11

न सस्यानि न गोरक्ष्यं न कृषिर् न वणिक्पथः नैव सत्यानृतं तत्र न लोभो न च मत्सरः वैवस्वते ऽन्तरे तस्मिन् सांप्रते समुपस्थिते वैन्यात् प्रभृति राजेन्द्र सर्वस्यैतस्य संभवः

na sasyāni na gorakṣyaṃ na kṛṣir na vaṇikpathaḥ naiva satyānṛtaṃ tatra na lobho na ca matsaraḥ vaivasvate 'ntare tasmin sāṃprate samupasthite vainyāt prabhṛti rājendra sarvasyaitasya saṃbhavaḥ

Verse 12

यत्र यत्र समं त्व् अस्या भूमेर् आसीत् तदानघ तत्र तत्र प्रजाः सर्वा निवासं समरोचयन्

yatra yatra samaṃ tv asyā bhūmer āsīt tadānagha tatra tatra prajāḥ sarvā nivāsaṃ samarocayan

Verse 13

आहारः फलमूलानि प्रजानाम् अभवत् तदा कृच्छ्रेण महता युक्त इत्य् एवम् अनुशुश्रुम

āhāraḥ phalamūlāni prajānām abhavat tadā kṛcchreṇa mahatā yukta ity evam anuśuśruma

Verse 14

संकल्पयित्वा वत्सं तु मनुं स्वायंभुवं प्रभुम् स्वे पाणौ पुरुषव्याघ्र दुदोह पृथिवीं ततः

saṃkalpayitvā vatsaṃ tu manuṃ svāyaṃbhuvaṃ prabhum sve pāṇau puruṣavyāghra dudoha pṛthivīṃ tataḥ

Verse 15

सस्यजातानि सर्वाणि पृथुर् वैन्यः प्रतापवान् सस्यानि तेन वै दुग्धा वैन्येनेयं वसुंधरा तेनान्नेन प्रजास् तात वर्तन्ते ऽद्यापि नित्यशः

sasyajātāni sarvāṇi pṛthur vainyaḥ pratāpavān sasyāni tena vai dugdhā vainyeneyaṃ vasuṃdharā tenānnena prajās tāta vartante 'dyāpi nityaśaḥ

Verse 16

ऋषिभिः श्रूयते चापि पुनर् दुग्ध्हा वसुंधरा वत्सः सोमो ऽभवत् तेषां दोग्धा चाङ्गिरसः सुतः

ṛṣibhiḥ śrūyate cāpi punar dugdhhā vasuṃdharā vatsaḥ somo 'bhavat teṣāṃ dogdhā cāṅgirasaḥ sutaḥ

Verse 17

बृहस्पतिर् महातेजाः पात्रं छन्दांसि भारत क्षीरम् आसीद् अनुपमं तपो ब्रह्म च शाश्वतम्

bṛhaspatir mahātejāḥ pātraṃ chandāṃsi bhārata kṣīram āsīd anupamaṃ tapo brahma ca śāśvatam

Verse 18

ततः पुनर् देवगणैः पुरंदरपुरोगमैः काञ्चनं पात्रम् आदाय दुग्धेयं श्रूयते मही

tataḥ punar devagaṇaiḥ puraṃdarapurogamaiḥ kāñcanaṃ pātram ādāya dugdheyaṃ śrūyate mahī

Verse 19

वत्सस् तु मघवान् आसीद् दोग्धा तु सविता विभुः क्षीरम् ऊर्जस्करं चैव येन वर्तन्ति देवताः

vatsas tu maghavān āsīd dogdhā tu savitā vibhuḥ kṣīram ūrjaskaraṃ caiva yena vartanti devatāḥ

Verse 20

पितृभिः श्रूयते चापि पुनर् दुग्धा वसुंधरा राजतं पात्रम् आदाय स्वधाम् अमितविक्रमैः

pitṛbhiḥ śrūyate cāpi punar dugdhā vasuṃdharā rājataṃ pātram ādāya svadhām amitavikramaiḥ

Verse 21

यमो वैवस्वतस् तेषाम् आसीद् वत्सः प्रतापवान् अन्तकश् चाभवद् दोग्धा कालो लोकप्रकालनः

yamo vaivasvatas teṣām āsīd vatsaḥ pratāpavān antakaś cābhavad dogdhā kālo lokaprakālanaḥ

Verse 22

नागैश् च श्रूयते दुग्धा वत्सं कृत्वा तु तक्षकम् अलाबुपात्रम् आदाय विषं क्षीरं नरोत्तम

nāgaiś ca śrūyate dugdhā vatsaṃ kṛtvā tu takṣakam alābupātram ādāya viṣaṃ kṣīraṃ narottama

Verse 23

तेषाम् ऐरावतो दोग्धा धृतराष्ट्रः प्रतापवान् नागानां भरतश्रेष्ठ सर्पाणां च महीपते

teṣām airāvato dogdhā dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ pratāpavān nāgānāṃ bharataśreṣṭha sarpāṇāṃ ca mahīpate

Verse 24

तेनैव वर्तयन्त्य् उग्रा महाकाया महाबलाः तदाहारास् तदाचारास् तद्वीर्यास् तदपाश्रयाः

tenaiva vartayanty ugrā mahākāyā mahābalāḥ tadāhārās tadācārās tadvīryās tadapāśrayāḥ

Verse 25

असुरैः श्रूयते चापि पुनर् दुग्धा वसुंधरा आयसं पात्रम् आदाय मायाः शत्रुनिबर्हणीः

asuraiḥ śrūyate cāpi punar dugdhā vasuṃdharā āyasaṃ pātram ādāya māyāḥ śatrunibarhaṇīḥ

Verse 26

विरोचनस् तु प्राह्रादिर् वत्सस् तेषाम् अभूत् तदा ऋत्विग् द्विमूर्धा दैत्यानां मधुर् दोग्धा महाबलः

virocanas tu prāhrādir vatsas teṣām abhūt tadā ṛtvig dvimūrdhā daityānāṃ madhur dogdhā mahābalaḥ

Verse 27

तयैते माययाद्यापि सर्वे मायाविनो ऽसुराः वर्तयन्त्य् अमितप्रज्ञास् तद् एषाम् अमितं बलम्

tayaite māyayādyāpi sarve māyāvino 'surāḥ vartayanty amitaprajñās tad eṣām amitaṃ balam

Verse 28

यक्षैश् च श्रूयते राजन् पुनर् दुग्धा वसुंधरा आमपात्रे महाराज पुरान्तर्धानम् अक्षयम्

yakṣaiś ca śrūyate rājan punar dugdhā vasuṃdharā āmapātre mahārāja purāntardhānam akṣayam

Verse 29

वत्सं वैश्रवणं कृत्वा यक्षैः पुण्यजनैस् तथा दोग्धा रजतनाभस् तु पिता मणिवरस्य यः यक्षात्मजो महातेजास् त्रिशीर्षः सुमहातपाः दोग्धा तु धनदः स्वामिन्न् एवं तैश् च वसुंधरा तेन ते वर्तयन्तीह परमर्षिर् उवाच ह

vatsaṃ vaiśravaṇaṃ kṛtvā yakṣaiḥ puṇyajanais tathā dogdhā rajatanābhas tu pitā maṇivarasya yaḥ yakṣātmajo mahātejās triśīrṣaḥ sumahātapāḥ dogdhā tu dhanadaḥ svāminn evaṃ taiś ca vasuṃdharā tena te vartayantīha paramarṣir uvāca ha

Verse 30

राक्षसैश् च पिशाचैश् च पुनर् दुग्धा वसुंधरा शावं कपालम् आदाय प्रजा भोक्तुं नरर्षभ

rākṣasaiś ca piśācaiś ca punar dugdhā vasuṃdharā śāvaṃ kapālam ādāya prajā bhoktuṃ nararṣabha

Verse 31

दोग्धा रजतनाभस् तु तेषाम् आसीत् कुरूद्वह वत्सः सुमाली कौरव्य क्षीरं रुधिरम् एव च

dogdhā rajatanābhas tu teṣām āsīt kurūdvaha vatsaḥ sumālī kauravya kṣīraṃ rudhiram eva ca

Verse 32

तेन क्षीरेण रक्षांसि यक्षाश् चैवामरोपमाः वर्तयन्ति पिशाचाश् च भूतसंघास् तथैव च

tena kṣīreṇa rakṣāṃsi yakṣāś caivāmaropamāḥ vartayanti piśācāś ca bhūtasaṃghās tathaiva ca

Verse 33

पद्मपत्रे पुनर् दुग्धा गन्धर्वैः साप्सरोगणैः वत्सं चित्ररथं कृत्वा शुचीन् गन्धान् नरोत्तम

padmapatre punar dugdhā gandharvaiḥ sāpsarogaṇaiḥ vatsaṃ citrarathaṃ kṛtvā śucīn gandhān narottama

Verse 34

तेषां च सुरुचिस् त्व् आसीद् दोग्धा भरतसत्तम गन्धर्वराजो ऽतिबलो महात्मा सूर्यसंनिभः

teṣāṃ ca surucis tv āsīd dogdhā bharatasattama gandharvarājo 'tibalo mahātmā sūryasaṃnibhaḥ

Verse 35

शैलैश् च श्रूयते दुग्धा पुनर् देवी वसुंधरा ओषधीर् वै मूर्तिमती रत्नानि विविधानि च

śailaiś ca śrūyate dugdhā punar devī vasuṃdharā oṣadhīr vai mūrtimatī ratnāni vividhāni ca

Verse 36

वत्सस् तु हिमवान् आसीद् दोग्धा मेरुर् महागिरिः पात्रं तु शैलम् एवासीत् तेन शैलाः प्रतिष्ठिताः

vatsas tu himavān āsīd dogdhā merur mahāgiriḥ pātraṃ tu śailam evāsīt tena śailāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ

Verse 37

दुग्धेयं वृक्षवीरुद्भिः श्रूयते च वसुंधरा पालाशं पात्रम् आदाय च्छिन्नदग्धप्ररोहणम्

dugdheyaṃ vṛkṣavīrudbhiḥ śrūyate ca vasuṃdharā pālāśaṃ pātram ādāya cchinnadagdhaprarohaṇam

Verse 38

सर्वकामदुघा दोग्ध्री पृथिवी जनमेजय सेयं धात्री विधात्री च पावनी च वसुंधरा चराचरस्य सर्वस्य प्रतिष्ठा योनिर् एव च सर्वकामदुघा दोग्ध्री सर्वसस्यप्ररोहिणी

sarvakāmadughā dogdhrī pṛthivī janamejaya seyaṃ dhātrī vidhātrī ca pāvanī ca vasuṃdharā carācarasya sarvasya pratiṣṭhā yonir eva ca sarvakāmadughā dogdhrī sarvasasyaprarohiṇī

Verse 39

आसीद् इयं समुद्रान्ता मेदिनीति परिश्रुता मधुकैटभयोः कृत्स्ना मेदसाभिपरिप्लुता

āsīd iyaṃ samudrāntā medinīti pariśrutā madhukaiṭabhayoḥ kṛtsnā medasābhipariplutā

Verse 40

तेनेयं मेदिनी देवी प्रोच्यते ब्रह्मवादिभिः ततो ऽभ्युपगमाद् राज्ञः पृथोर् वैन्यस्य भारत दुहितृत्वम् अनुप्राप्ता देवी पृथ्वीति चोच्यते

teneyaṃ medinī devī procyate brahmavādibhiḥ tato 'bhyupagamād rājñaḥ pṛthor vainyasya bhārata duhitṛtvam anuprāptā devī pṛthvīti cocyate

Verse 41

पृथुना प्रविभक्ता च शोधिता च वसुंधरा सस्याकरवती स्फीता पुरपत्तनमालिनी

pṛthunā pravibhaktā ca śodhitā ca vasuṃdharā sasyākaravatī sphītā purapattanamālinī

Verse 42

एवंप्रभावो वैन्यः स राजासीद् राजसत्तम नमस्यश् चैव पूज्यश् च भूतग्रामैर् न संशयः

evaṃprabhāvo vainyaḥ sa rājāsīd rājasattama namasyaś caiva pūjyaś ca bhūtagrāmair na saṃśayaḥ

Verse 43

ब्राह्मणैश् च महाभागैर् वेदवेदाङ्गपारगैः पृथुर् एव नमस्कार्यो वृत्तिदः स सनातनः

brāhmaṇaiś ca mahābhāgair vedavedāṅgapāragaiḥ pṛthur eva namaskāryo vṛttidaḥ sa sanātanaḥ

Verse 44

पार्थिवैश् च महाभागैः पार्थिवत्वम् अभीप्सुभिः आदिराजो नमस्कार्यः पृथुर् वैन्यः प्रतापवान्

pārthivaiś ca mahābhāgaiḥ pārthivatvam abhīpsubhiḥ ādirājo namaskāryaḥ pṛthur vainyaḥ pratāpavān

Verse 45

योधैर् अपि च विक्रान्तैः प्राप्तुकामैर् जयं युधि आदिराजो नमस्कार्यो योधानां प्रथमो नृपः

yodhair api ca vikrāntaiḥ prāptukāmair jayaṃ yudhi ādirājo namaskāryo yodhānāṃ prathamo nṛpaḥ

Verse 46

यो हि योद्धा रणं याति कीर्तयित्वा पृथुं नृपम् स घोररूपान् संग्रामान् क्षेमी तरति कीर्तिमान्

yo hi yoddhā raṇaṃ yāti kīrtayitvā pṛthuṃ nṛpam sa ghorarūpān saṃgrāmān kṣemī tarati kīrtimān

Verse 47

वैश्यैर् अपि च वित्ताढ्यैर् वैश्यवृत्तिम् अनुष्ठितैः पृथुर् एव नमस्कार्यो वृत्तिदाता महायशाः

vaiśyair api ca vittāḍhyair vaiśyavṛttim anuṣṭhitaiḥ pṛthur eva namaskāryo vṛttidātā mahāyaśāḥ

Verse 48

तथैव शूद्रैः शुचिभिस् त्रिवर्णपरिचारिभिः पृथुर् एव नमस्कार्यः श्रेयः परम् अभीप्सुभिः

tathaiva śūdraiḥ śucibhis trivarṇaparicāribhiḥ pṛthur eva namaskāryaḥ śreyaḥ param abhīpsubhiḥ

Verse 49

एते वत्सविशेषाश् च दोग्धारः क्षीरम् एव च पात्राणि च मयोक्तानि किं भूयो वर्णयामि ते

ete vatsaviśeṣāś ca dogdhāraḥ kṣīram eva ca pātrāṇi ca mayoktāni kiṃ bhūyo varṇayāmi te

'These are the calves of each kind, the milkers, the milk itself, and the vessels, as I have told them. What more shall I describe for you?'

Verse commentary

Pṛthu Milks the Earth: The Various Nourishments

पृथुना पृथिवीदोहनं विविधपात्रेषु

Verses 1, 7, 15, 20, 25, 40, 45: the principle that one's death for the good of many is puṇya, Pṛthvī asking Pṛthu to find a vatsa (calf) so she can yield milk, men nourished by crops 'even today', pitṛs drawing svadhā in a silver vessel, asuras drawing māyā in an iron vessel, Pṛthvī named after Pṛthu because she became his daughter, and warriors reverencing the ādirāja before battle. Template commentary, pending Editorial Council review.

HV 6 is the Harivaṃśa's pastoral-cosmological masterpiece: the milking of the earth. Pṛthu, newly consecrated, finds the earth in *vaiṣamya*, unevenness — mountains, forests, irregular surfaces — incapable of bearing crops. He threatens her with his bow. The earth, taking the form of a cow, begs him to find a *vatsa* (calf) through which she can yield her milk. Pṛthu provides a calf for each class of beings, and each receives its own kind of nourishment in its own specific vessel: *men* receive grains in wooden vessels; *pitṛs* draw *svadhā* in a silver vessel; *asuras* draw *māyā* in an iron vessel; *rākṣasas* draw blood in a skull; *mountains* draw *oṣadhīs* and *ratnas*. Each class has its own vatsa, its own vessel, its own milk. The earth becomes Pṛthu's *duhitṛ* and takes the name *Pṛthvī*. The chapter is the Harivaṃśa's foundational teaching on rāja-dharma as the making-fit of the earth for each class's proper sustenance.

HV 6.1

एकस्यार्थाय यो हन्याद् आत्मनो वा परस्य वा । बहून् वै प्राणिनो लोके भवेत् तस्येह पातकम् ॥

ekasyārthāya yo hanyād ātmano vā parasya vā | bahūn vai prāṇino loke bhavet tasyeha pātakam

'One who, for the sake of one — his own or another's — kills many beings in the world: his is the sin here.'

The Living Words

*Ekasyārthāya yo hanyād*, 'who kills for the sake of one'. *Ātmano vā parasya vā*, 'his own or another's'. *Bahūn vai prāṇino loke*, 'many beings in the world'. *Tasyeha pātakam*, 'his is the sin here'.

The Heart of It

The verse names the moral algebra. *Ekasyārthāya bahūn hanyād... pātakam* — 'killing many for one is sin'. The Varkari tradition's teaching: Pṛthu is about to state the reverse (killing one for the good of many is *puṇya*). The chapter sets up its own moral calculation explicitly, which is unusual for a Purāṇa. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's careful ethical attention: the bhakta does not accept moral shortcuts; every killing-calculation must be stated openly and weighed.

HV 6.7

सर्वम् एतद् अहं वीर विधास्यामि न संशयः । वत्सं तु मम तं पश्य क्षरेयं येन वत्सला ॥

sarvam etad ahaṃ vīra vidhāsyāmi na saṃśayaḥ | vatsaṃ tu mama taṃ paśya kṣareyaṃ yena vatsalā

'I shall arrange all this, hero — there is no doubt. But find me a calf by which I, affectionate-mother, may yield milk.'

The Living Words

*Sarvam etad ahaṃ vidhāsyāmi*, 'I shall arrange all this'. *Na saṃśayaḥ*, 'no doubt'. *Vatsam tu mama taṃ paśya*, 'but find me a calf'. *Kṣareyaṃ yena vatsalā*, 'by which, motherly, I may yield milk'.

The Heart of It

The verse is one of the Harivaṃśa's most tender images. *Vatsaṃ tu mama... kṣareyaṃ yena vatsalā* — 'find me a calf by which, motherly-tenderness, I may yield'. The earth cannot yield except to a *vatsa*. The Varkari tradition's teaching: grace does not flow unconditionally; it flows only to a *vatsa* — a specific receiver, a named calf. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's sense that the Name's milk flows only when there is a bhakta-*vatsa* at the Name's side — that grace is *vatsalā*, motherly, and requires an object — has HV 6.7 as its Sanskrit source. *Vatsalā* is pure *parental love*; it needs a *vatsa*.

HV 6.15

सस्यजातानि सर्वाणि पृथुर् वैन्यः प्रतापवान् । सस्यानि तेन वै दुग्धा वैन्येनेयं वसुंधरा । तेनान्नेन प्रजास् तात वर्तन्ते ऽद्यापि नित्यशः ॥

sasya-jātāni sarvāṇi pṛthur vainyaḥ pratāpavān | sasyāni tena vai dugdhā vainyeneyaṃ vasuṃdharā | tenānnena prajās tāta vartante 'dyāpi nityaśaḥ

All kinds of grains — the majestic Pṛthu Vainya — the grains, by him, were milked from this earth by Vainya; by that food, the people, father, sustain themselves even today, continually.

The Living Words

*Sasya-jātāni sarvāṇi*, 'all kinds of grains'. *Tena vai dugdhā*, 'were milked by him'. *Tenānnena prajās tāta vartante*, 'by that food, the people sustain themselves'. *Adyāpi nityaśaḥ*, 'even today, continually'.

The Heart of It

The verse is the Harivaṃśa's most important observation about food. *Tenānnena prajās tāta vartante 'dyāpi nityaśaḥ* — 'by that food, the people sustain themselves even today'. Every grain of rice, every kernel of wheat, is *dugdhā* by Pṛthu from the earth. The Varkari tradition's profound reading: to eat is to participate in Pṛthu's continuing *duhana*. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's pre-meal remembrance of the Name as the *anna-dātā* has HV 6.15 as its Sanskrit warrant. The food-chain starts with a king's bow-point.

HV 6.20

पितृभिः श्रूयते चापि पुनर् दुग्धा वसुंधरा । राजतं पात्रम् आदाय स्वधाम् अमितविक्रमैः ॥

pitṛbhiḥ śrūyate cāpi punar dugdhā vasuṃdharā | rājataṃ pātram ādāya svadhām amita-vikramaiḥ

By the pitṛs also, it is heard, the earth was milked again — taking a silver vessel — [they drew] svadhā, with measureless valor.

The Living Words

*Pitṛbhiḥ dugdhā*, 'milked by the pitṛs'. *Rājataṃ pātram ādāya*, 'taking a silver vessel'. *Svadhām*, 'the svadhā-offering's essence'. *Amita-vikramaiḥ*, 'with measureless valor'.

The Heart of It

The verse names the specific milk of each class. *Rājataṃ pātram ādāya svadhām* — 'taking a silver vessel, the pitṛs [drew] svadhā'. The Varkari tradition's attentive reading: silver for the pitṛs, iron for the asuras (next verse), skull for the rākṣasas. The *pātra* matters; the *milk* matters. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's teaching that each bhakta receives his specific grace in a specific *pātra* — that grace is not one-size-fits-all — has HV 6.20 as its Sanskrit source. The pitṛs receive *svadhā* specifically, and only in silver.

HV 6.25

असुरैः श्रूयते चापि पुनर् दुग्धा वसुंधरा । आयसं पात्रम् आदाय मायाः शत्रुनिबर्हणीः ॥

asuraiḥ śrūyate cāpi punar dugdhā vasuṃdharā | āyasaṃ pātram ādāya māyāḥ śatru-nibarhaṇīḥ

By the asuras, it is heard, the earth was milked again — taking an iron vessel — [they drew] māyās, enemy-destroying.

The Living Words

*Asuraiḥ dugdhā*, 'milked by the asuras'. *Āyasaṃ pātram ādāya*, 'taking an iron vessel'. *Māyāḥ śatru-nibarhaṇīḥ*, 'māyās, enemy-destroying'.

The Heart of It

The verse's contrast with the preceding is theologically striking. *Āyasaṃ pātram ādāya māyāḥ* — 'taking an iron vessel, [they drew] māyās'. The asuras' milk is not *svadhā* but *māyā*; their vessel is not silver but iron. The Varkari tradition's deep teaching: *māyā* here is not primordial cosmic illusion; it is the asuras' specific technical deceptions, *śatru-nibarhaṇī*, enemy-destroying. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's sense that the same earth yields different milks depending on the vessel and the vatsa is here formalized: *āyasa-pātra* brings out *māyā*; *rājata-pātra* brings out *svadhā*. The vessel determines the milk.

HV 6.40

तेनेयं मेदिनी देवी प्रोच्यते ब्रह्मवादिभिः । ततो ऽभ्युपगमाद् राज्ञः पृथोर् वैन्यस्य भारत । दुहितृत्वम् अनुप्राप्ता देवी पृथ्वीति चोच्यते ॥

teneyaṃ medinī devī procyate brahma-vādibhiḥ | tato 'bhyupagamād rājñaḥ pṛthor vainyasya bhārata | duhitṛtvam anuprāptā devī pṛthvīti cocyate

'Hence this earth-goddess is called [Medinī] by the speakers-of-Brahman; thus, by the agreement with king Pṛthu Vainya, O Bhārata, having obtained daughterhood, the goddess is called Pṛthvī.'

The Living Words

*Medinī devī*, 'the Medinī goddess'. *Brahma-vādibhiḥ*, 'by the speakers-of-Brahman'. *Abhyupagamāt*, 'by agreement'. *Duhitṛtvam anuprāptā*, 'having obtained daughterhood'. *Pṛthvīti cocyate*, 'is called Pṛthvī'.

The Heart of It

The verse is the origin of the earth's name. *Duhitṛtvam anuprāptā devī pṛthvīti cocyate* — 'having obtained daughterhood, she is called Pṛthvī'. The Varkari tradition's wonder at this etymology: the earth we walk is called *Pṛthvī* because she agreed to become a daughter. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's view of the earth as *pitṛ-sambandha* through Pṛthu — that the bhakta's own *pṛthvī-vāsa* is a kind of familial relation — has HV 6.40 as its Sanskrit ground. We stand on our adopted sister-daughter-mother, differently understood.

HV 6.45

योधैर् अपि च विक्रान्तैः प्राप्तुकामैर् जयं युधि । आदिराजो नमस्कार्यो योधानां प्रथमो नृपः ॥

yodhair api ca vikrāntaiḥ prāptu-kāmair jayaṃ yudhi | ādi-rājo namas-kāryo yodhānāṃ prathamo nṛpaḥ

'Even by heroic warriors, desirous of obtaining victory in combat, the first king — the ādi-rājā — is to be saluted, the first king of warriors.'

The Living Words

*Yodhaiḥ api ca vikrāntaiḥ*, 'even by heroic warriors'. *Prāptu-kāmair jayaṃ yudhi*, 'desiring victory in combat'. *Ādi-rājaḥ namas-kāryaḥ*, 'the ādi-rāja is to be saluted'. *Yodhānāṃ prathamo nṛpaḥ*, 'the first king of warriors'.

The Heart of It

The verse is the chapter's final instruction. *Ādi-rājo namas-kāryo yodhānāṃ prathamo nṛpaḥ* — 'the first king, first of warrior-kings, is to be saluted'. The Varkari tradition's teaching: even the warriors who claim their own prowess must first salute the *ādi-rāja* who, by milking the earth, made combat possible. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's constant honoring of predecessors — that even the accomplished must bow to the *ādi* of their craft — has HV 6.45 as its Sanskrit model. Namaskāra to the first.

Thread

The seven verses trace the chapter's teaching: the moral algebra of one-for-many (6.1), the earth's request for a vatsa (6.7), the crops that sustain the people even today (6.15), pitṛs drawing svadhā in silver (6.20), asuras drawing māyā in iron (6.25), the earth becoming Pṛthu's daughter — Pṛthvī (6.40), and the ādi-rāja to be saluted by every warrior (6.45). The Harivaṃśa's central teaching on rāja-dharma as earth-milking.

Echo in the saints

HV 6 is the Warkari tradition's most-loved teaching on *go-rakṣā* and *bhū-mātā* theology. The earth is *mother* (Medinī) and *daughter* (Pṛthvī) at once; she yields her milk only to a named *vatsa*, by a specific *pātra*. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's tender pre-meal reverence for *anna-pūrṇā* has, in HV 6.15, its Sanskrit source: the food we eat is *Pṛthu-dugdha*, still yielding, *adyāpi nityaśaḥ*. And HV 6.40's *duhitṛtvam anuprāptā devī pṛthvīti cocyate* is read by Warkari teachers as the foundational earth-ethics: we walk on our sister-daughter. The Warkari's reverence for the specific ground of his village — the exact plot his ancestors tilled — rests on this verse.

Scripture references

EchoesBhagavad Gītā 3.10

The Lord provides sustenance for every class according to its nature.

सहयज्ञाः प्रजाः सृष्ट्वा पुरोवाच प्रजापतिः । अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वमेष वोऽस्त्विष्टकामधुक् ॥

saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā purovāca prajāpatiḥ | anena prasaviṣyadhvam eṣa vo 'stv iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk

Creating creatures together with sacrifice, the Prajāpati said of old: 'By this, propagate; may this be your wish-yielding cow.'

HV 6's earth-as-cow yielding specific milks to each class is the Gītā 3.10's iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk made literally cow-shaped. The Gītā promises the yajña as the wish-yielding cow; HV 6 names the earth herself as kāma-dugdhā. The Warkari tradition reads them together: both are images of the Lord's continuing provision.

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BORI critical edition, ed. P. L. Vaidya (1969). Digital text from the GRETIL Zurich constituted text. Distributed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.