Srimad Bhagavatam – day 300
Extolling Bhārata varṣa Devatas state, – “How lucky are the inhabitants of this land! They must have performed so many meritorious deeds that Srihari holds them very dear to Him. They are fortunate to obtain human birth in sacred land and offer devotional services to Srihari, the Lord of liberation. Even if we desire to obtain human birth in Bhārata varṣa, we are unable to obtain it. Our desire thus remains unfulfilled.
On the strength of intense austerities, penance, charities and other stringent disciplines we obtained this insignificant heaven. In what way do we benefit from living in heaven? The plentiful comforts and sensory pleasures available here ensure that our minds remain focused totally upon them. Thus they prevent us from remembering Sriman Nārāyaṇa, the primordial Lord. Even the desire to think of the Lord does not arise in us.
Instead of enjoying an extended lifespan of 1000 Maha-yugas in heaven and thereafter getting into the cycle of rebirths, it is better to have little merit such that we are born with shorter lifespan in Bhārata varṣa. The wise beings there use their perishable fleeting bodies to perform meritorious deeds which they can instantaneously offer to Srihari. Due to this they reach His lotus feet which is freed from re-births.
Na yatra vaikuṇṭha-kathā-sudhāpagā na sādhavo bhāgavatās tadāśrayāḥ
Na yatra yajñeśa-makhā mahotsavāḥ sureśa-loko ’pi na vai sa sevyatām
It is advisable to stay away from that land, even if it is the most supreme heaven presided by Indra, if nectarous rivers known as Srihari’s glories do not flow in it, if devotional services are not offered therein, if saints who have surrendered to Him do not reside in it and if Yagnas and satsangs are not conducted therein. This is imperative!
The place where Bhāgawatam is heard transforms into Vaikunta! Hence it is imperative that everyone should listen to Bhāgawatam.
The human body is made up of the 5 organs of perception, the 5 organs of action and the 5 gross elements. Human beings who are born in Bhārata varṣa should use this body to obtain ultimate liberation which is totally freed from the hassles of rebirths. Just as birds that escape from the hunters net once again get trapped in it due to their weakness for food grains, living entities get trapped in the net called samsāra (worldly bondages).
With intent of making sacrificial offerings to various Devatas, human beings diligently conduct Yagnas in which they invoke these various Devatas and offer them their respective shares. At that time the Supreme Lord who is an embodiment of all Devatas, who is complete in every respect and who bestows the Purusharthas is extremely pleased and hence He accepts all these offerings.
When humans worship Him seeking fulfillment of a particular desire He ensures its fulfillment. However at such times He does not grant them liberation. This is because as soon as a desire is fulfilled the person develops one more desire.
This Lord blesses those who serve Him selflessly with His lotus feet! Selfless devotees consider this to be the ultimate reward! With this automatically all their desires get fulfilled. Entertaining desires keeps the person away from liberation! Freedom from desires is itself liberation!
We have dutifully abided by Yagnas and by the vow of truthfulness. Due to the resultant merit we now enjoy heavenly comforts. We pray that if there is any remnant merit (punya) it should grant us human birth in Bhārata varṣa in which ample scope for offering services to Lord Srihari exists. Lord Srihari is the Lord who showers his devotees with pure bliss”.
Having explained the glory of Bhārata varṣa, Maharishi Śuka continued, “O Parikshit, the sons of Emperor Sagara who were searching for the sacrificial horse, dug up the earth from all directions. Elders state that at that time 8 sub-islands were created in this main island of Jambu-dweepa. They are Swarṇaprastha, Chandraśukla, āvartana, Ramaṇaka, Mandara-hariṇa, Pāncajanya, Simhala and Lanka.
O Parikshit, I have described about Jambu-dweepa and its divisions to you, just as I have learnt from my Gurus”.
With this the nineteenth chapter of the fifth canto comes to an end.
Fifth Canto Twentieth Chapter
In this chapter the description of the vast universe is given.
Maharishi Śuka continued, “Parikshit, I will now explain to you the dimension, location, shape and structure of Plaksha and other islands.
Around the Meru Mountain is the island called Jambu dweepa. This Jambu dweepa is surrounded by a salty ocean which is exactly equal to it in dimension. Just as a moat is surrounded by gardens, islands known as Plaksha dweepa surround this salty ocean on the other side.
Plaksha dweepa is twice as broad as the salty ocean. Just as Jambu tree stands on island Jambu-dweepa, a Plaksha tree (java fig) stands here giving this island the name Plaksha-dweepa. This tree is exactly similar in dimensions to the Jambu tree and is made of gold.
In this island there is a huge fire beneath the Plaksha tree. It burns with seven tongues which are known as Kāli, Karāli, Manojava, Sulohita, Sudhūmravarṇa, Spulingini, and Viśwaruci. Idhmajihva, one of the sons of Priyavrata, is the Lord of this island. He further sub-divided this island into seven smaller islands and divided them between his seven sons. Thereafter he focused his mind entirely upon the Supreme Lord and discarded all worldly transactions. The seven sub-islands of Plaksha are Shiva, Yavasa, Subhadra, Śānta, Kṣema, Amṛta and Abhaya.
Samkarshanāya namah