Bhūdevī: The Earth Devī and Consort of Vishṇu

Bhūdevī is the devī of the Earth. She is also called Bhūmī Devī, Dharaṇī or simply Bhū. In the Vedic and Purāṇic account of the cosmos, the Earth is a conscious divine being, and she is its personification. She is one of the consorts of Bhagavān Vishṇu, and in the Vaishṇava tradition she is honoured beside Śrī Lakshmī. In the Mahābhārata she is the one who goes to the devas when adharma (the opposite of dharma) and the power of the kshatriyas weigh the Earth down. Her appeal started the chain of births of the devas on Earth, including the avatāra of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa. That chain ended in the Kurukshetra war, which lightened the burden of the Earth.

Nature

Bhūdevī is the conscious spirit of the Earth. She carries all beings and keeps all life going. When the weight of adharma and of too many people grows too heavy, she can become burdened. She is not a lifeless planet. She is a devī who sees, who suffers, and who can go to the divine court to ask for relief. In Vaishṇava teaching she is the śakti (power) of Bhagavān Vishṇu in her earthly aspect, as Śrī Lakshmī is his śakti in her celestial aspect of wealth and good fortune.

In the Mahābhārata: the Bhūdevī-Kali Upākhyāna

In the Strī Parva, Chapter 8, Vyāsa tells the Bhūdevī-Kali Upākhyāna (the account of Bhūdevī and Kali) to the grieving Dhṛtarāshṭra. It gives these facts:

Bhūdevī was weighed down (bhāra) by the gathered power of a huge population of kshatriyas. Their strength had turned into pride and adharma.
She went to the assembly of the devas, and at last to Bhagavān Vishṇu himself, and asked for relief.
Bhagavān Vishṇu told the devas to take partial births on Earth, to bring about and take part in a great war that would lighten the Earth’s burden.
Duryodhana was born as an aṃśa (part) of Kali. He and the Kurukshetra war that followed came directly from the appeal of Bhūdevī.

In other Purāṇas

The petition of Bhūdevī to Brahmā and Bhagavān Vishṇu is told in several Purāṇas as the setting for the avatāra of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa.

In the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa (Daśama Skandha), Bhūdevī goes to Brahmā. He takes her to Bhagavān Vishṇu, who then declares that he will soon be born.
In the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa and the Devī Bhāgavata, other versions of the same appeal are given. They show different sides of the avatāra.

The Vāsudeva–Pṛthivī Saṃvāda: Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 97

In the Anuśāsana Parva of the Mahābhārata, Bhīshma tells an old saṃvāda (dialogue) between Pṛthivī (Bhūdevī) and Vāsudeva, who is Bhagavān Kṛshṇa. Vāsudeva asked her what a gṛhastha (householder) must do to gain true prosperity. Pṛthivī answered with the full bali-vidhi (rule of offerings).

Each day the householder honours the devas through the nitya-yajña (daily yajña).
He honours people through ātithya (hospitality).
He honours Agni through the vaiśvadeva offering before meals.
He honours the pitṛs (ancestors) through śrāddha.

She also told where the bali offerings are to be placed:

to Yama in the south
to Varuṇa in the west
to Candra in the north
to Prajāpati at the centre
to Dhanvantari in the northeast
to Indra in the east
to people at the doorway
to the Maruts within the house
to the Viśvedevas toward the sky
to the rākshasas and bhūtas at night

She gave the right order of the household rite as well: first bali-karma, then vaiśvadeva, then brāhmaṇa-bhojana (feeding brāhmaṇas), then the guests, then the poor. Vāsudeva received this teaching and kept it faithfully for the rest of his life.

Iconography

In Vaishṇava temples Bhūdevī stands beside Śrī Lakshmī, with Bhagavān Vishṇu between them. She is usually shown holding a lotus and wearing earth-coloured clothes. Her face is gentle and nourishing. Śrī stands for celestial grace and Bhū for the support of the Earth. They are the two great powers through which the grace of Bhagavān Vishṇu works in the world.

Sources

Mahābhārata, Strī Parva, Chapter 8
Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 97
Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Daśama Skandha
Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa
Devī Bhāgavata