Shloka 11
Viṣṇupadī Gaṅgā: Descent, Cosmic Pathways, and Śiva’s Praise of Saṅkarṣaṇa
तत्रापि भारतमेव वर्षं कर्मक्षेत्रमन्यान्यष्ट वर्षाणि स्वर्गिणां पुण्यशेषोपभोगस्थानानि भौमानि स्वर्गपदानि व्यपदिशन्ति ॥ ११ ॥
tatrāpi bhāratam eva varṣaṁ karma-kṣetram anyāny aṣṭa varṣāṇi svargiṇāṁ puṇya-śeṣopabhoga-sthānāni bhaumāni svarga-padāni vyapadiśanti.
Unter den neun Varṣas gilt allein Bhārata-varṣa als das Feld des Karma. Gelehrte und Heilige erklären, die übrigen acht Varṣas seien für höchst Fromme bestimmt, die aus den Himmelswelten zurückkehren und dort den verbleibenden Lohn ihrer Verdienste genießen—irdische Himmelspfade, dem Paradies gleich.
The heavenly places of enjoyment are divided into three groups: the celestial heavenly planets, the heavenly places on earth, and the bila heavenly places, which are found in the lower regions. Among these three classes of heavenly places ( bhauma-svarga-pada-ni ), the heavenly places on earth are the eight varṣas other than Bhārata-varṣa. In Bhagavad-gītā (9.21) Kṛṣṇa says, kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti: when the persons living in the heavenly planets exhaust the results of their pious activities, they return to this earth. In this way, they are elevated to the heavenly planets, and then they again fall to the earthly planets. This process is known as brahmāṇḍa bhramaṇa, wandering up and down throughout the universes. Those who are intelligent — in other words, those who have not lost their intelligence — do not involve themselves in this process of wandering up and down. They take to the devotional service of the Lord so that they can ultimately penetrate the covering of this universe and enter the spiritual kingdom. Then they are situated on one of the planets known as Vaikuṇṭhaloka or, still higher, Kṛṣṇaloka (Goloka Vṛndāvana). A devotee is never caught in the process of being promoted to the heavenly planets and again coming down. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says:
FAQs
This verse states that Bhārata-varṣa uniquely functions as the main arena for performing karma that leads to higher destinations and spiritual progress, whereas other varṣas are primarily for enjoying the remaining fruits of past piety.
They are described as terrestrial regions comparable to heavenly abodes, where heavenly-type beings enjoy the leftover results of their accumulated puṇya.
Human life in Bhārata-varṣa should be used intentionally for purposeful action—especially dharma and devotion—rather than merely seeking comfort, since enjoyment alone is portrayed as the consumption of past merit.