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According to the description found in Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana, among Lord Vishnu's twenty-four incarnations, King Prithu is considered His ninth incarnation. Answering the prayers of sages, Lord Vishnu incarnated as King Prithu. During His incarnation as King Prithu, Lord Vishnu cultivated all sorts of medicinal plants for humankind.
King Prithu is considered the first sovereign of Earth, who not only organised a large kingdom but also structured the landmass into diverse governing bodies for efficient administration, like villages, cities, towns, etc. The modern urban administrative system practiced today was established by King Prithu.
According to the legend associated with the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as King Prithu, after King Dhruva retired to the forest, his descendant Anga became the king. King Anga was mighty, righteous and devout to the path of Bhakti. Subsequently, when King Anga retired to the forest, his son Vena was crowned the king. Vena was an amoral being who forbade the observance of all religious practices like, sacrificial rituals, worship of God, donation, ablution, etc. He didn't even listen to the advice of sages. So, the sages howled at him furiously, and advanced toward him. Vena could not endure the energy released by the fury of sages and reduced to ashes within a moment.
Vena had no children of his own; however, an heir to the throne was imperative. In absence of any sovereign, lawlessness pervaded the entire kingdom. Thieves, robbers, amoral, unprincipled and other evil beings wreaked havoc in the kingdom. Therefore, the sages twisted the arms of King Vena from which a couple emerged. The couple was King Prithu and Queen Archi. Thereafter, the coronation of King Prithu was organised, and he was crowned the King of Earth. When King Prithu assumed the throne of his kingdom, the Earth was barren, and the citizens were facing severe starvation.
Upon witnessing such misery in his kingdom, King Prithu was extremely distraught. He found out that Prithvi Mata, i.e., Mother Earth had contained all sorts of grains as well as the medicinal plants in Her abdomen. This knowledge exceedingly enraged Prithu and He charged furiously towards Her with a bow in His hand. Quivering with fear, Goddess Earth assumed the form of a cow and sprinted to save Her life. When She realized that none could protect Her, She surrendered at the mercy of King Prithu.
Goddess Earth, assuming the form of a cow, pleadingly said to King Prithu - "O great king! The grains that Lord Brahma created at the beginning of the Universe had been destroyed by evil beings. They had also stopped nurturing and respecting me. Because of this reason, I have contained all the medicinal plants inside my abdomen. If you are in need of grains, then first level my surface so that the rainwater sent by Indra may remain accumulated upon me, keeping me fertile long after the rains have stopped. Thereafter, arrange for a suitable calf, a milking vessel and a milking person, then I will provide you with ample grains and medicinal herbs."
King Prithu, regarded Goddess Earth as his daughter, provided everything she asked for. Then, He levelled the surface of the Earth by flattening mountains with His bow. Thereafter, the flattened surface was used to build villages and towns to be inhabited by the citizens of his kingdom. He also built animal shelters and cantonment areas for his army. King Prithu was the first sovereign who organised the Earth. And it is for this reason; Prithu is regarded as the first king of Earth. After discharging his duty as king, He felt a strong longing in His heart to get the Darshan of the Lord, so he vowed to perform one 100 Ashvamedha Yajna.
In Swargaloka, Indra, the king of Gods, was anxious that, if Prithu completed one hundred Ashvamedha Yajna, He would be dethroned from his kingdom of Swarga. Prithu completed ninety-nine Yajnas but right before the commencement of the hundredth one, Indra stole the Yajna horse. The distraught Prithu invoked Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma said to King Prithu - "Do you think you will definitely get Darshan of the Lord by completing one hundred Ashvamedha Yajnas? If it were true, then Indra would have also got the Darshan. He was honored as Indra because He completed the hundred Yajnas, yet He resorts to immoral actions like thievery."
Lord Brahma further advised King Prithu - "O King! The divine is attained only if you have love in your heart. You can perform hundred, or even thousand Yajnas, but if your heart is devoid of love, you will not get the Darshan of the Lord." King Prithu acknowledged this advice of Lord Brahma and relinquished His vow of performing the last Yajna.
As soon as King Prithu relinquished His vow, Lord Narayana who was adorned with a conch, a discus, a mace and a lotus flower, and the king of Gods, Indra, appeared at the sacrificial pavilion and gave Darshan to King Prithu. Upon seeing the Lord in front of Him, King Prithu worshipped Him with proper rituals. Then, Lord Vishnu said - "O king! I am extremely pleased with your virtues and righteousness. Therefore, you must ask for a boon. " King Prithu said - "O Lord! Please grant me one boon for this mortal world and one for Vaikuntha. For this world, please grant me ten thousand ears as a boon." An astonished Lord Vishnu said - "Ten thousand ears? Why are you asking for such a wish?" King Prithu answered - "O Lord! My heart is not satiated by listening to your glorious deeds with only two ears. With my ten thousand ears, I would listen to your Leela to my heart's content."
Lord Vishnu, pleased with Prithu's answer, granted Him the power of ten thousand ears within His two ears and asked again - "What is your wish for Vaikuntha?" King Prithu answered – "In Vaikuntha, I shall be as fortunate as to serve your lotus feet." Lord Vishnu said - "How can I refuse to grant a place at my feet to a devout like you?" King Prithu said - "Lord, you will not refuse, but Goddess Lakshmi who is always tending to your lotus feet will certainly raise an objection to having to share the service of your sacred feet with me. Thus, give me the boon that, should any discord arise regarding the service of your feet, you would favor me rather than Goddess Lakshmi." Such profound devotion of King Prithu made Lord Vishnu's eyes well up with tears. Lord Vishnu thus granted the boon and vanished from sight. Afterwards, King Prithu, expounding the tenets of Dharma to His subjects, said - "King receives the one-sixth Punya of his subjects' good deeds. Therefore, for my benefit, you must always engage in virtuous deeds." This way, after advising His subjects, King Prithu departed from there.
Once, Sanakadi Rishis - Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanat Kumar, arrived at the gardens of King Prithu. King Prithu asked them to teach the path of liberation to Him. Sanakadi Rishis said - "You have already received the Darshan of the Lord, but if you still wish to know, then we will explain it to you - "Listen carefully! Liberation is attainable if a person instills these four virtues into their life, that is, a sense of benevolence, a life of piety, devotion and love for God, and the blessing of Guru. After knowing the path to liberation from Sanakadi Rishis, King Prithu performed the coronation of His son and retired to forest. He relinquished His mortal body while contemplating the divine. His wife Queen Archi became Sati. Both attained Vaikuntha in the end. In this way, the story of King Prithu comes to an end.
King Prithu was born from the kneading of King Vena's arms. Thus, King Vena was His father. Prithu married Queen Archi, who was a partial incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. According to Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana, King Prithu and Queen Archi had five sons, who were called Vijitashwa, Dhumrakesha, Haryaksha, Dravida and Vrika.
King Prithu is depicted as a two-armed King of handsome countenance. He is adorned with various gold ornaments and a crown encrusted with precious jewels. He is shown clad in Dhoti and Angavastram. He wears a garland of sweet-smelling flowers around His neck. King Prithu is portrayed along with His wife Queen Archi.
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