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 After winning bounties from Mother Earth, now acclaimed as Prithvi, daughter of Lord Prithu (Vishnu incarnate), the king crushed some of the mountains that were one too many and levelled the uneven earth. His actions won him the love and respect of his subjects, and they praised him as the first king ever to have truly earned the spontaneous love of his subjects - the Praja. So much so that they called him their 'raja,' and it was only from Prithu's kingship that other kings came to be adored as 'rajas' and their kingdoms to be known as 'raajadhanis.' From this was derived 'raajan' - etc. 'One who delights his subjects by his actions' and one whom the subjects delight by their voluntary love, admiration and adoration is 'Raajaa' - 'Prakritiranjannath' - 'Ranjayati iti Raaja' - in whom Nature (Mother Earth) herself finds her delight. Of such merit should rulers be - wishful thinking these days, of course! Prithu was the 'Aadi Raaja' - the first-ever one!
Prithu becomes Shatakritu
Later on Prithu completed a hundred Aswamedha sacrifices (the prestigious and potent horse sacrifice which all powerful kings of yore were expected to perform).and earned the name 'Shatakritu' - one who has completed a hundred sacrifices. While he was engaged in this process, particularly when the hundredth sacrifice was undertaken, the celestial chief Indra caused a number of hardships and obstacles He prevented the completion of the hundredth sacrifice,.because anyone who completed one hundred Aswamedha sacrifices would become the celestial chief and assume the title
Indra.
Prithu readies to kill Indra
Prithu's son had got the better of Indra, who then made himself scarce. This time Prithu decided to deal with Indra personally. However, the sages dissuaded him from doing this as he was the 'Yajna Kartaa' - performer of the sacrifice, and should not engage himself in death-dealing exercises. "We will bring him down from his celestial heights by our potent chants and punish him", they promised.
Brahma's creative advice
Then Brahma appeared on the scene and advised Prithu not to punish Indra unduly. "You cannot kill a celestial being who has drunk the elixir of immortality - amrit. I grant you the completion of the 100th sacrifice. You are the shatakritu. You are the Lord Narayana Himself, His manifestation on earth. You are the Lord of all Lords. Indra is only your subordinate."
King of Heavens vs Lord of Earth
Thus entreated by Brahma, Prithu allowed his righteous anger against Indra to subside. The celestial chief was ashamed of his petty-minded actions, came down to earth, fell at the feet of Prithu and earned his reprieve. The king of the Heavens embraced the Lord of the Earth and all was well again.
Most Meaningful Episode
Srimad Bhagavatam says that in due course Prithu gave away his vast kingdom to his sons, went on a long pilgrimage, did penance in the forests along with his wife Archis, and then, by his yogic powers, returned to his heavenly abode. This episode is one of the most meaningful in Srimad Bhagavatam. It teaches us many a valuable lesson.
R Srinivasan
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