Verse: S.B 5.19.1
Where: Los Angeles, June 5, 2010

“om namo bhagavate vasudevaya”

So we are reading from Srimad Bhagvatam , canto 5th, chapter 19th. Description of the Island of Jambudvipa. This chapter describes the glories of Bharatvarsha and it also describes how Lord Ramchandra is being worshiped in the tract of land known as “Kimpurusavarsa,” the inhabitants of “Kimpurusa-varsa” are fortunate because they worship Lord Ramchandra with his faithful servant Hanuman. Lord Ramchandra exemplifies an incarnation of Godhead, who descends for the mission of

“paritranaya sadhunam vinasayaca duskrtam” (4.8)

Protecting the devotees and destroying the miscreants. Lord Ramchandra exhibits the actual purpose of incarnation of Supreme Personality of Godhead and the devotees take opportunities to offer loving transcendental service to him. One should surrender fully to the Lord, forgetting one’s so called material happiness, opulence and education, which are not at all useful for pleasing the Lord. The Lord is pleased only by the process of surrender unto Him.

When Devarishi Narda descended to instruct Savarni Manu, Savarni Manu, he described the opulence of Bharatvarsha, India. The Savarni Manu and inhabitants of Bharatvarsha engaged in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the origin of creation, maintenance and annihilation and who is always worshipped by self realized souls. In the planet known as Bharatvarsa, there are many rivers and mountains, as there are in other tracts of land, yet Bharatvarsa has special significance because in this tract of land, there exists the Vedic principles of varnasharam dharma which divides society into for varnas and four ashramas.

Furthermore, Narad Muni opinion is that even if there is some temporary disturbance in the execution of varnasharam dharma principles, they can be revived at any moment. The effect of adhering to the institution of varnasharm is gradual elevation to spiritual platform and liberation from material bondage. By following the principles of Varnashram dharma, one gets opportunity to associate with devotees. Such association gradually awakens one’s dormant propensity to serve Supreme Personality of Godhead and frees one from all the basic principles of sinful life. One then, gets opportunity to offer unalloyed devotional service to the supreme Lord Vasudev. Because of this opportunity, the inhabitants of Bharatvarsha are praised even in the heavenly planets, even in the topmost planet of this universe, Brahmalok, the position of Bharatvarsha is discussed with great relish, all the conditioned living entities are evolving within the universe in different planets and different species of life, thus one may be elevated to Bharamalok. But then one must again descend to Earth as confirmed in Srimad Bhagavatam

“abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino arjuna” (8.16)

If those who live in Bharatvarsha, rigidly follow the principles of Varnashram dharma and develop their dormant Krishna consciousness, they need not return to this material world after death. Any place where one can’t hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead from realized souls, even if it be Bharamaloka, is not very congenial to the living entity. If one who has taken birth on land of Bharatvarsha as a human being and he doesn’t take advantage of the opportunity for spiritual elevation, his position is certainly the most miserable. In the land known as Bharatvarsha, even if one is “sarva kama bhakta,” that’s a new bhakta. (Laughs). New kind of bhakta, “sarva kama bhakta” is described as a devotee seeking the fulfillment of some material desires, he is freed from all material desires by his association with devotees and ultimately, he becomes a pure devotee and returns home back to Godhead without difficulty.

At the end of this chapter, Sri Shukadev Goswami describes to Maharaj Parikshit, the 8 subislands within the Island of Jambudvipa and text no.1, “sri shuka uvacha,” I still remember that place where Shukadev Goswami spoke Bhagvatam, it helps in your meditation. If you visit those places, then things are more into the context. I am seeing Shukadev Goswami seated there, on the banks of Ganga,right outside, just outside Hastinapur and he is speaking “sri shuka uvacha”. He was totally misunderstood, this Shukadev Goswami as he was going through Hastinapur town. It’s a little description how the children and ladies and others, they were making fun of him, throwing rocks, this and that. He was a young man, age 16 yrs, he had no clothes on, that was something they thought was not proper, strange mad man. He didn’t put any clothes on. Shukadev Goswami said, “How many clothes do I have to put on? I already have one cloth on.”

“vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya” (2.22)

This body is already one cloth, isn’t that enough? So, so called, no clothes but he has full big body as a cloth on and then that cloth that he wears is “digamabar,” dig means direction, and ambar means cloth, he is wearing the cloth of the directions and he was going through Hastinapur. Walking and walking and walking, he was going towards the spot were King Parikshit was sitting, he did not know that Shukadev Goswami was coming in his direction, but Shukadev Goswami certainly heading towards that spot and as he arrived, Shukadev Goswami arrived on the scene, everyone quickly stood up to honour Shukadev Goswami.
/strong