The earth is worshipped as Goddess Bhooma Devi, a Consort of Lord Narayana. It was to rescue Bhooma Devi from a demon that the Lord took the Varaha avatara.
Those with patience are compared to Bhooma Devi, R. Narayanan said in a discourse.
Would anyone reward those who injure them? Yet Mother Earth rewards those who dig her up for cultivation. We use sharp instruments to till the soil and dig pits; yet the more we work on the land, the more rich dividends it yields. Such is the nature of the earth.
When the earth is so benevolent, does it make sense for anyone to bemoan his fate and say he has no way of making a living? So long as he is able bodied, he can till the land, using his energy and strength.
A man who is able to work, but does not realise that he can reap rich rewards by making agriculture his livelihood , is one who will be mocked and made fun of by the very earth whose value he has not realised.
An unkind ruler, who does not realise his responsibilities and who is in the company of the uneducated, burdens the earth by his irresponsible actions. A responsible ruler must have three important qualities: he must not procrastinate when important decisions have to be taken; he must be educated; and he must have the courage to make the right decisions.
According to the poet Tiruvalluvar, such a responsible ruler is capable of ruling the entire universe, which was measured by Lord Narayana.
The worship of the earth is a practice current even today, as is seen in the puja offered to the earth before the commencement of any construction activity.
The earth yields to the one who works hard, but the yield depends on yet another gift from God: rain. Tiruvalluvar underscores the value of timely rain, and says the rain is selfless too.
What does the rain gain by pouring down on the scorched earth, making life possible on it?
Be it the earth or the rain, humans have a lesson to learn from them — the importance of selfless service. Tiruvalluvar compares the need for good rulers to the need for copious rain.
