O Pṛthivī, the broad one, the wide, the steady, the eternal mother upon whom all things rest! Thou art greater than all the gods, for even they stand upon thee. Thou art their foundation, their support, the ground of their being.

We are borne upon thy surface, O Earth. Our feet touch thee each day. The seeds that grow thy forests and meadows drink from thy soil. The waters that fill thy rivers and springs come forth from thy hidden depths. Thou containest all richness, all fertility, all bounty.

Thy patience is infinite, O Pṛthivī. Thou receivest the footsteps of countless creatures—the heavy tread of the elephant, the light leap of the deer, the crawling of the ant. Thou receivest the cruelty of those who would wound thee, yet thou art not angered. Thou remainest stable and strong.

Thou art the mother who giveth without counting the cost. When we cast seeds into thy breast, thou nourishest them and returnest them to us transformed—wheat and barley, fruit and flower. When we extract the minerals and metals from thy deep places, thou allowest us to take what we need. Thy generosity knoweth no measure.

We abuse thee, O broad one. We scarify thy skin with our tools. We pollute thy waters. Yet still thou persistest in providing for us, in sustaining all life without complaint. There is no other force in the cosmos that showeth such quiet, enduring love.

O Pṛthivī, accept our gratitude. We bow before thee. We place our foreheads upon thy sacred soil. Give us the wisdom to treat thee with respect, and the grace to recognize that without thee, we would be nothing.