682
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 17]
garbha . The earth therefore warned King Pṛthu that he could gain nothing by destroying her. Indeed, how would he protect himself and his citizens from drowning in the  garbha  water? In other words, outer space may be compared to an ocean of air, and each and every planet is floating on it just as a boat or island floats on the ocean. Sometimes planets are called  dvīpa , or islands, and sometimes they are called boats. Thus the cosmic manifestation is partially explained in this reference by the cow-shaped earth.
TEXT 22
पृथुरुवाच
वसुधे त्वां वधिष्यामि मच्छासनपराङ्मुखीम् ।  
 भागं बर्हिषि या वृङ्क्ते न तनोति च नो वसु ॥२२॥
pṛthur uvāca
vasudhe tvāṁ vadhiṣyāmi
mac-chāsana-parāṅ-mukhīm
bhāgaṁ barhiṣi yā vṛṅkte
na tanoti ca no vasu
pṛthuḥ uvāca —King Pṛthu replied;  vasu-dhe —my dear earthly planet;  tvāṁ —you;  vadhiṣyāmi —I shall kill;  mat —my;  śāsana —rulings;  parāk-mukhīm —disobedient to;  bhāgaṁ —your share;  barhiṣi —in the  yajña ;  yā —who;  vṛṅkte —accepts;  na —not;  tanoti —does deliver;  ca —and;  naḥ —to us;  vasu —produce.
TRANSLATION
King Pṛthu replied to the earthly planet: My dear earth, you have disobeyed my orders and rulings. In the form of a demigod you accepted your share of the  yajñas  we performed, but in return you have not produced sufficient food grains. For this reason I must kill you.
PURPORT
The cow-shaped earthly planet submitted that she was not only a woman, but was innocent and sinless as well. Thus she argued that she should not be killed. Besides, she pointed out that being perfectly religious-minded, the King could not violate the religious principles that forbade killing a woman. In reply, Mahārāja Pṛthu informed her that first of all she had disobeyed his orders. This was her first sinful activity. Secondly he accused