According to the Bhagavata Purana, thousands of years ago, there lived a king named Vena. He was a greedy king who exploited the earth till it could take no more, terrifying the earth goddess, Bhoomi. When he died, his son Prithu took over the reins of the kingdom.

As Prithu ascended the throne, Bhoomi was afraid that Prithu would exploit her too, just like his wicked father had done. Scared, she took the form of a cow and ran away. Soon the land turned barren. There were no proper vegetation, crops dried up, and soon there was a famine in the land. People went hungry and there was havoc on earth. The people came complaining to Prithu.

Prithu had no choice but to go searching of Bhoomi. When he finally found her, he requested her to bless the earth. However, Bhoomi refused and escaped again. Prithu gave chase, ultimately threatening to kill her if she didn’t hear what he had to say. Fearing for her life, Bhoomi stopped. After thinking about the king’s request, the goddess agreed to grant the king’s wish on one condition. She expected all living beings to treat her with respect. Prithu gave his word and promised to protect her.

This marked a new birth for Bhoomi, and she came to be known as Prithu’s daughter, Prithvi.

Read more stories of divine Hindu goddesses in Amar Chitra Katha’s Shakti, now available on the ACK Comics app and Kindle, as well as all major e-tailers.