पृथु _pṛthu

पृथु a. (

-थु or

-थ्वी f., compar. प्रथीयस्, superl. प्रथिष्ठ) [प्रथ्-कु संप्र˚ Uṇ.1.28]

1 Broad, wide, spacious, expansive; पृथुनितम्ब q. v. below; सिन्धोः पृथुमपि तनुम् Me.48.

-2 Copious, abundant, ample; अव्युच्छिन्नपृथु- प्रवृत्ति भवतो दानं ममाप्यर्थिषु V.4.47.

-3 Large, great; दृशः पृथुतरीकृताः Ratn.2.15; अरोधि पन्थाः पृथुदन्तशालिना Śi. 12.48; R.11.25.

-4 Detailed, prolix.

-5 Numerous.

-6 Smart, sharp, clever.

-7 Important.

-6 Various.

-थुः 1 N. of fire or Agni.

-2 N. of Viṣṇu.

-3 Of Mahādeva.

-4 N. of a king. [Pṛithu was the son of Vena, son of Anga. He was called the first king, from whom the earth received her name Pṛithvī. The Viṣṇu Purāṇa relates that when Vena who was wicked by nature and prohibited worship and sacrifice, was beaten to death by the pious sages, and when conse- quently robbery and anarchy prevailed in the absence of a King, the Munis rubbed the right arm of the dead king to produce a son, and from it sprang the majestic Pṛithu, glowing like Agni. He was immediately declared King, and his subjects who had suffered from famine, besought the monarch for the edible fruits and plants which the earth withheld from them. In anger Pṛithu took up his bow to compel her to yield the supply so much needed by his subjects. She assum- ed the form of a cow and began to flee chased by the King. But she at last yielded and requested him to spare her life, and at the same time promised to restore all the needed fruits, plants &c., 'if a calf were given to her through which she might be able to secrete milk.' Pṛithu thereupon made Svāyambhuva Manu the calf; milked the earth, and received the milk into his own hand, from which proceeded all kinds of corn, vegetables, fruits &c., for the mainte- nance of his subjects. The example or Pṛithu was after- wards followed by a variety of milkers-gods, men, Ṛiṣis, mountains, Nāgas, Asuras &c., who found out the proper milkman and calf from their own number, and milked the earth of whatever they wanted; cf. Ku.1.2.]

-थु f. Opium.

-Comp. -उदर a. big-bellied, corpulent. (

-रः) a ram.

-कीर्ति a. far-famed.

-जघन, -नितम्ब a. having large or broad hips or slopes; पृथुनितम्ब नितम्बवती तव V.4.26.

-दर्शिन् a. far-sighted.

-पत्रः, -त्रम् red garlic.

-प्रथ, -यशस् a. far-famed, widely renowned.

-बीजकः lentils.

-रोमन् m. a fish. ˚युग्म the sign Pisces of the zodiac.

-शेखरः a mountain.

-श्री a. highly prosperous.

-श्रोणि a. having large hips.

-संपद् a. rich, wealthy.

-स्कन्धः a hog.