Vayu Purana

सा त्वं वचनमासाद्य मम धर्मभृतां वरे । सञ्जीवय प्रजा नित्यं शक्ता ह्यसि न संशयः

'Therefore, O best of upholders of righteousness, accept my words: always revive the people—you are indeed capable, there is no doubt.'

दुहितृत्वञ्च मे गच्छ एवमेतं महद्वरम् । नियच्छे त्वान्तु धर्मार्थं प्रयुक्तं घोरदर्शने

Become my daughter; in this way, this is a great means. I restrain you now for the sake of righteousness, O terrifying one.

प्रत्युवाच ततो वैन्यमेवमुक्ता सती मही । एवमेतदहं राजन् विधास्यामि न संशयः

Then, thus addressed, the virtuous Earth replied to Vainya: 'So it is, O King; I will do this without doubt.'

वत्सन्तु मम तं यच्छ क्षरेयं येन वत्सला । समाञ्च कुरु सर्वत्र मां त्वं धर्मभृतां वर । यथा विष्यन्दमानञ्च क्षीरं सर्वत्र भावये

Let a calf be given to me, by which, O affectionate one, I may yield; and make me uniform everywhere, O best of the righteous, just as milk flows everywhere, so may I be everywhere.

तत उत्सारयामास शिलाजालानि सर्वशः । धनुष्कोट्या ततो वैन्यस्तेन शैला विवार्द्धिताः

Then Vainya cleared away all the layers of stone with the tip of his bow; by that, the mountains were removed.

मन्वन्तरेष्वतीतेषु विषमासीद्वसुन्धरा । स्वभावेनाभवंस्तस्याः समानि विषमाणि च

In the past Manvantaras, the Earth was uneven by nature; her even and uneven places arose from her own nature.

न हि पूर्वनिसर्गे वै विषमे पृथिवीतले । प्रविभागः पुराणां वा ग्रामाणां वापि विद्यते

Indeed, in the former creation, on the uneven surface of the earth, there was no division of cities or villages.

न सस्यानि न गोरक्षा न कृषिर्न वणिक्पथः । चाक्षुषस्यान्तरे पूर्वमेतदासीत्पुरा किल । वैवस्वतेऽन्तरे तस्मिन्सर्वस्यैतस्य सम्भवः ॥२.१.

There were no crops, no cattle-keeping, no agriculture, nor trade routes; in the interval before the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara, this was the state in ancient times. In the Vaivasvata Manvantara, all this came into being.

६२.१७२ समत्वं यत्र यत्रासीद्भूयस्तस्मिंस्तदेव हि । तत्र तत्र प्रजास्ता वै निवसन्ति स्म सर्वदा

Wherever there was evenness, there, indeed, people always dwelt.

आहारः फलमूलन्तु प्रजानामभत्किल । वैन्यात्प्रभृति लोकेऽस्मिन्सर्वस्यैतस्य सम्भवः

The food of the people was fruit and roots, it is said; from Vainya onward, in this world, all this came into being.

कृच्छ्रेण महता सोऽपि प्रनष्टास्वोषधीषु वै । स कल्पयित्वा वत्सन्तु चाक्षुषं मनुमीश्वरः । पृथुर्दुदोह सस्यानि स्वतले पृथिवीं ततः

With great difficulty, even he lost the plants; then the Lord, having appointed a calf, the Cākṣuṣa Manu, Prithu milked the earth for crops from her own surface.

सस्यानि तेन दुग्धानि वैन्येन तु वसुन्धराम् । मनुञ्च चाक्षुषं कृत्वा वत्सम्पात्रे च भूमये । तेनान्नेन तदा ता वै वर्त्तयन्ते प्रजाः सदा

By him, Vainya, the earth was milked for crops; having made Cākṣuṣa Manu the calf and a vessel for the earth, by that food, the people always lived.

ऋषिभिः स्तूयते वापि पुनर्दुग्धा वसुन्धरा । वत्सः सोमस्त्वभूत्तेषां दोग्धा चापि बृहस्पतिः

Again, praised by the sages, the earth was milked; Soma was their calf, and Brihaspati was the milker.

पात्रमासीत्तु छन्दांसि गायत्र्यादीनि सर्वशः । क्षीरमासीत्तदा तेषां तपो ब्रह्म च शाश्वतम्

The vessel was the Vedic metres, all beginning with Gayatri; their milk was austerity and eternal Brahman.

पुनः स्तुत्वा देवगणैः पुरन्दरपुरोगमैः । सौवर्णं पात्रमादाय अमृतं दुदुहे तदा । तेनैव वर्त्तयन्ते च देवा इन्द्रपुरोगमाः

Again, praised by the hosts of gods led by Purandara, taking a golden vessel, they then milked out ambrosia; by that, the gods led by Indra live.

नागैश्च स्तूयते दुग्धा विषं क्षीरं तदा मही । तेषाञ्च वासुकिर्दोग्धा काद्रवेया महौजसः

Praised by the Nagas, the earth was milked for poison as milk; among them, Vasuki was the milker, and the powerful Kadru's sons were the calves.

नागानां वै द्विजश्रेष्ठ सर्पाणाञ्चैव सर्वशः । तेनैव वर्त्तयन्त्युग्रा महाकाया महोल्बणाः । तदाहारास्तदाचारास्तद्वीर्यास्तु सदाश्रयाः

For the Nagas and all the serpents, O best of twice-born, by that they, fierce, great-bodied, and mighty, live; their food, conduct, and strength always depend on that.

श्राम(आम)पात्रे पुनर्दुग्धा त्वन्तर्द्धानमियं मही । वत्सं वैश्रवणं कृत्वा यक्षैः पुण्यजनैस्तथा ॥२.१.

Again, in a vessel of shell-lac, this earth was milked for hidden treasures; making Vaishravana the calf, along with the Yakshas and virtuous beings.

६२.१८२ दोग्धा च जतुनाभस्तु पिता मणिवरस्य सः । यक्षात्मजो महातेजा वशी स सुमहाबलः । तेन ते वर्त्तयन्तीति परमर्षिरुवाच ह

Jatunahbha, the father of the jewel-lord, was the milker; the great-souled, mighty son of a Yaksha. By that, they live, so the great sage said.

राक्षसैश्च पिशाचैश्च पुनर्दुग्धा वसुन्धरा । ब्रह्मोपेतस्तु दोग्धा वै तेषामासीत्कुबेरकः

The earth was milked again by the rākṣasas and piśācas; Kubera, endowed with Brahma, was their milker.

रक्षः सुमाली बलवान्क्षीरं रुधिरमेव च । कपालपात्रे निर्दुग्धा अन्तर्द्धानञ्च राक्षसैः । तेन क्षीरेण रक्षांसि वर्त्तयन्तीह सर्वशः

The powerful rākṣasa Sumālī milked blood as the milk, using a skull as the vessel, and the rākṣasas made it vanish; with that milk, the rākṣasas sustain themselves here in every way.

पद्मपात्रे पुनर्दुग्धा गन्धर्वैरप्सरोगणैः । वत्सं चित्ररथं कृत्वा शुचीन् गन्धास्तथैव च

The earth was milked again by the gandharvas and hosts of apsarases, using a lotus as the vessel, making Citraratha the calf, and extracting pure fragrances likewise.

तेषां विश्वावसुस्त्वासीद्दोग्धा पुत्रो मुनेः शुचिः । गन्धर्वराजोऽतिबलो महात्मा सूर्यसन्निभः

Among them, Viśvāvasu, the pure son of the sage, was the milker; the gandharva king, exceedingly strong, great-souled, and radiant like the sun.

शैलैश्च स्तूयते दुग्धा पुनर्देवी वसुन्धरा । तत्रौषधीर्मूर्त्तिमती रत्नानि विविधानि च

The earth was milked again by the mountains, being praised; medicinal herbs with form and various gems were extracted there.

वत्सस्तु हिमवांस्तेषां मेरुर्दोग्धा महागिरिः । पात्रन्तु शैलमेवासीत्तेन शैलः प्रतिष्ठितः

For them, Himavat was the calf, Meru the milker, the great mountain; the vessel was also a mountain, and thus the mountain was established.

स्तूयते वृक्षवीरुद्भिः पुनर्दुग्धा वसुन्धरा । पलाशपात्रमादाय दुग्धं छिन्नप्ररोहणम्

The earth was milked again by trees and plants, being praised; taking a palāśa leaf as the vessel, the milk was the cut and sprouting shoots.

कामधुक् पुष्पितः शैलः प्लक्षो वत्सो यशस्विनी । सर्वकामदुघा दोग्ध्री पृथिवी भूतभाविनी

The flowering mountain was the wish-fulfilling cow, the illustrious plakṣa tree the calf; the earth, giver of all desires, was the milker for all beings, past and future.

सैषा धात्री विधात्री च धारणी च वसुन्धरा । दुग्धा हितार्थं लोकानां पृथुना इति नः श्रुतम् । चराचरस्य लोकस्य प्रतिष्ठा योनिरेव च ॥२.१.

This is the nourisher, the creator, the supporter, the earth; milked for the benefit of the worlds by Pṛthu, as we have heard; she is the foundation and womb of the moving and unmoving world.

उत्तरार्द्धम् -

The northern half—