Shloka 24
भारतवर्षमहात्म्यम् — कर्मभूमित्वम्, नवभेदाः, कुलपर्वताः-नद्यः-जनपदाः, युगचक्रविशेषः, यज्ञपुरुषविष्णुपूजा
गायन्ति देवाः किल गीतकानि धन्यास् तु ये भारतभूमिभागे स्वर्गापवर्गास्पदहेतुभूते भवन्ति भूयः पुरुषाः सुरत्वात्
gāyanti devāḥ kila gītakāni dhanyās tu ye bhāratabhūmibhāge svargāpavargāspadahetubhūte bhavanti bhūyaḥ puruṣāḥ suratvāt
Dikatakan para dewa menyanyikan lagu pujian: “Berbahagialah mereka yang lahir di wilayah Bhārata; tanah inilah sebab dan asas untuk mencapai syurga dan mokṣa. Walau telah memperoleh darjat dewa, mereka lahir semula di sana sebagai manusia kerana peluang itu amat jarang.”
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
FAQs
This verse presents Bhārata-varṣa as the prime “karma-field” where actions and dharma can lead not only to svarga (heaven) but also to apavarga (final liberation), making it coveted even by the devas.
Parāśara indicates that devas, despite enjoying celestial status, seek rebirth as humans in Bhārata because liberation is most effectively pursued through embodied karma and dharma in this realm.
Implicitly, the verse frames cosmic hierarchy under divine order: worldly and heavenly attainments culminate in apavarga, ultimately aligned with Vishnu as the supreme ground of liberation in Vaishnava theology.