All the gathered sages, seeing the Sūta and Māgadha standing before the newly anointed King Pṛthu, addressed them with joy: “Let this king be praised! Your actions are fitting, and this lord of men is indeed worthy.” But the Sūta and Māgadha, with humility, replied to the assembly, “O sages, we are accustomed to pleasing gods and seers with our praises, recounting their deeds. Yet we do not know this king’s name, his qualities, or his great acts. By what means shall we compose a worthy praise for him?” The sages, wise and far-seeing, gave them counsel: “Let him be praised for the deeds he will accomplish in the future—the great acts that Pṛthu will perform.” From that very time, O best of sages, it became the tradition that blessings and praises are pronounced by Sūtas, Māgadhas, and bards at royal occasions. When their praise was complete, Pṛthu, pleased and gracious, rewarded the Sūta with the land of Anūpa and the Māgadha with the land of Magadha. Seeing this, the wise among the people, filled with joy, declared, “This king will be the giver of your livelihoods.” Inspired, the people approached Pṛthu, the great-souled son of Vena, and spoke according to the sages’ guidance: “O king, you must provide for our sustenance.” Thus urged by the people and desiring their welfare, the mighty Pṛthu took up his bow and arrows and set out upon the earth. But the earth, terrified by Vena’s son, assumed the form of a cow and fled. Pṛthu, determined, pursued her with his bow drawn. Out of fear, the earth-cow fled to all the worlds—even to the realm of Brahmā—but everywhere she turned, she saw Vena’s son before her, radiant, armed, and unconquerable, his blazing arrows ready. Unable to find refuge anywhere, the earth returned to Pṛthu, joining her palms in reverence, honored now by all three worlds. She spoke to him: “O king, you do not see unrighteousness in slaying a woman. But how will you sustain the people without me? All the worlds exist in me; by me this universe is supported. If I perish, O ruler of men, so too will all the people.” She pleaded further, “You ought not to kill me. If you wish for the welfare of your subjects, listen to my words. All undertakings succeed when begun with proper means; find another way to sustain your people. Even if you kill me, you will not be able to nourish them. I will be favorable to you—restrain your anger, O great-minded one. It is said that a woman must not be slain, even among animals. If this is so, O protector of the earth, you should not abandon righteousness.” Hearing her many words, the great-minded king, self-controlled and righteous, restrained his anger and addressed the earth: “If, for the sake of one—oneself or another—or for many beings, a person kills, endless sin accrues. Yet, if by killing one wicked being, many prosper, then there is no sin, nor even minor fault, in slaying that evil one. Therefore, for the sake of the people, I will slay you, O earth, if today you do not act for the good of the world as I command. If you disregard my command, I will make my name renowned by sustaining the people myself.” He continued, “Therefore, uphold my command, O best among the upholders of dharma. Revive all beings, for you are indeed capable of sustaining them. And become my daughter; then I will restrain this terrible arrow, which has arisen for your destruction.” The earth replied, “All this, O hero, I shall accomplish—there is no doubt. But see my calf, O loving one, for whose sake I might even perish. And make me equal everywhere, O best of the righteous, so that my milk may flow and be present everywhere.” Then, with the tip of his bow, Pṛthu, son of Vena, drove away hundreds of thousands of mountains, and by his might, those mountains grew. For in the previous creation, the surface of the earth was uneven; there were no divisions of ancient lands or villages, no crops, no cattle-keeping, no agriculture, no trade routes—neither truth nor falsehood, nor greed nor envy existed. But when the interval of Vaivasvata arrived, from Vainya onward, the origin of all these things began. Wherever there was equality upon the earth, there all beings chose to dwell. At that time, people subsisted with great difficulty on fruits and roots. Then Pṛthu, having appointed Manu Svāyambhuva as the calf, milked the earth with his own hands, like a tiger among men. All kinds of crops were produced by Pṛthu, and by that food, all beings continue to subsist, even to this day. Afterward, the seers, gods, ancestors, reptiles, demons, yakṣas, virtuous beings, gandharvas, mountains, and trees—all these, O best of Brāhmaṇas, once milked the earth. For each, there was a calf and a vessel, and each had a separate milker. For the seers, Soma was the calf, Bṛhaspati the milker; their milk was austerity and Brahman, and their vessel was the Vedas. For the gods, the vessel was gold, Indra was their calf; their milk was vigor, and the blessed Sun was their milker.