The prayers of the inhabitants of the other eight varṣas
Only purification can bring us a higher understanding of reality. That’s precisely what the prayers of the inhabitants of Jambūdvīpa describe. That's their advanced technology.
« Making Sense of the Vedic Universe, a Higher-Dimensional Reality
The prayers of the inhabitants of the other eight varṣas
A low status of consciousness results in gross senses and gross intelligence. With such tools, no amount of speculation can give us an accurate view of reality, just as no amount of education can make an ant understand nuclear physics. The only way to properly understand it is to purify and expand our consciousness. Only this can provide us with a higher understanding of reality. The only practical process for that, in the age we live in, is the process of devotional service, and that’s precisely what these prayers of the inhabitants of Jambūdvīpa describe. We often think of inhabitants of other planets as technologically advanced civilizations, but this is their real technology.
Prabhupāda explains these prayers in detail in his purports to the verses. Here, I just try to explain the context of these prayers in the cosmological model of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and mention additional details about these varṣas, their leaders, their process of worship, and their predominating deities.
Ilāvṛta-varṣa: The abode of Lord Śiva
Kailāsa is one of the eight sets of mountains surrounding Mount Sumeru in Ilāvṛta-varṣa, located to the south. This is the abode of Lord Śiva. This abode is described as a paradisiacal place, with pristine nature and all natural opulences. In the middle of it, there is a very auspicious place, where Lord Śiva sits under a great banyan tree, which is 100 yojanas high, with its branches spreading over 75 yojanas around. In other words, this tree alone is larger than Great Britain.
Despite such great natural opulence, Lord Śiva is not interested in material enjoyment. He spends his time absorbed in meditation and in philosophical talks with associates such as Kuvera and the four Kumāras. Despite this, his wife, Pārvatī, is very eager to serve him, accompanied by her billions of servants.
This abode of Lord Śiva is off-limits for the inhabitants of the other eight varṣas. If any human man inadvertently tries to enter this sacred abode, he is immediately transformed into a woman, as described in the Ninth Canto, in the saga of King Sudyumna.
Lord Śiva is manifested from Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa of the catur-vyūha. Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa is thus the predominating deity in Ilāvṛta-varṣa, directly worshiped by Lord Śiva. Just as Lord Śiva does in Ilāvṛta-varṣa, the chiefs of the other varṣas worship each a certain deity of the Lord with certain prayers, followed by all inhabitants. In this way, even though living in material comfort, they remain fixed in the platform of devotion. Each of the varṣas is led by a great devotee, who worships the Lord with particular prayers, which are described in chapters 5.18 and 5.19. These prayers are the central part of the second part of the Fifth Canto, containing many important philosophical revelations. They also add a few details about these different varṣas and their inhabitants.
This illustrates the point made by Śrīla Prabhupāda that the inhabitants of these varṣas are devotees who get permission to enjoy in heavenly conditions there exactly because this material enjoyment does not make them forget Kṛṣṇa. After staying there for their allotted time, they usually return to Bhārata-varṣa, where they have the opportunity to further develop in their spiritual practice, and hopefully go back to Godhead.
Lord Sankarṣaṇa is described as tāmasī, the Lord’s form in the mode of ignorance. This is connected with Him as the predominating deity of the false ego, or ahaṅkāra, the very source of the illusion that binds the conditioned souls to this world. As described by Lord Kapila, the false ego is the subtlest of the material elements, but from it, all the other material elements and everything else manifest. Sankarṣaṇa also appears inside our universe as Lord Śeṣa, who lives at the bottom of the universe and sustains all planetary systems.
Some believe in a dichotomy between God and evil, but this view is not supported in Vaiṣnava philosophy. There is nothing apart from the Lord. Everything comes from Him, and everything is under His full control. When it comes to the need for manifesting a force that can bind the souls to this world and serve as the basis for the illusory material reality, the Lord creates it in the form of the false ego, through His own expansion. Sankarṣaṇa is thus the controller of the mode of ignorance, but He is completely aloof from its influence, just as Lord Śiva is.
Ultimately, the material illusion is just one of the potencies of the Lord. Because we desired to be involved in material activities, the Lord sent us here, in His form as Mahā-Viṣnu. Similarly, when we finally decide to get out, we can become free by His grace. In this way, the soul is eternally dependent on the Lord. In our healthy condition, we accept this dependent position and serve the Lord in a bond of love. In this original position, we are completely happy. When, however, we try to be independent, our problems start.
Another manifestation of Lord Sankarṣaṇa is what we call gravity. What exactly is gravity? This is a question modern science struggles to answer. The effects of gravity are more or less understood and explained in terms of space-time curvatures, but what exactly causes it is not very well understood. The hypothetical force carrier of gravity is the theoretical graviton, but it has never been detected.
According to the Vedas, however, gravity is a potency of the Lord, manifested through Lord Śeṣa. Through this potency, He holds all the universes and all the planets, which remain in their assigned places. It may appear as a herculean task, but it is actually very easy for the Lord to do so, just like a serpent carrying a mustard seed. In the Kṛṣṇa Book, chapter two, for example, it is described that, “Ananta, or Śeṣa, is the source of the power which sustains all the planets in their different positions. Materially, this sustaining power is known as the law of gravitation, but actually it is a display of the potency of Saṅkarṣaṇa.”
Bhadraśravā: The land of Lord Hayagrīva
Bhadrāśva-varṣa is the tract of land east of Ilāvṛta-varṣa, ruled by Bhadraśravā, the son of Yamarāja. The Lord is present there in His form of Hayaśīrṣa (or Hayagrīva), the director of all religious principles and protector of the Vedas.
At the end of each day of Brahmā, the Vedas are stolen by ignorance personified, who hides them in the lower planetary systems. Normally, the Lord fights with the demon as Matsya and saves the Vedas, transmitting them again to Brahmā at the beginning of his next day.
At the end of the previous day, however, the Lord appeared as Hayagrīva (the horse-headed incarnation) to fight the demon and rescue the Vedas. This seems to be connected with the universal destruction at the end of the first half of Brahmā’s life, which is a unique event that occurs only once.
How is it that the Vedas can be stolen by a demon? In his purport, Prabhupāda connects it with the Vedas being forgotten and then transmitted again at the beginning of the next cycle of creation. A demon doesn’t necessarily have to assume a form with two hands and legs to cause harm. Just as Tṛṇāvarta had the form of a whirlwind, Tamasā (the demon of ignorance personified) made everyone forget the knowledge of the Vedas.
This same Lord Hayagrīva, who preserved the Vedas during the whole period of the night of Brahmā, is present in His deity form in Bhadrāśva-varṣa, where He is worshiped by His devotees, who offer Him respectful obeisances and offer Him prayers in devotional trance.
Hari-varṣa: Prahlāda Mahārāja worships Nṛsiṁhadeva
Prahlāda Maharaja’s father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, was originally the ruler of Sutala-loka, one of the subterranean heavens. After practicing his austerities and receiving the boons of Brahmā, he defeated the demigods and became the ruler of the three worlds. This happened in the sixth manvantara, after Hiranyākṣa was defeated by Lord Varāha. When he became inimical to Prahlāda and tried to kill him, the Lord appeared as Nṛsiṁhadeva from the pillar to put an end to his life.
The celestial planets were then returned to the demigods, and Prahlāda Maharaja was installed as the ruler of the demons, ruling over the lower planetary systems as a saintly king until the end of the 6th manvantara (as described on SB 7.10.11). Later, he passed the rulership to his son, Virocana, and eventually to Bali Maharaja, his grandson.
Bali Maharaja was able to defeat the demigods during the current manvantara (the 7th), which led to the appearance of Vāmanadeva, who took everything from him, under the pretext of begging for three steps of land. Bali Maharaja was a disciple of Śukrācārya, the guru of the demons, who is more of a caste brāhmana. However, because of the association of Prahlāda, he was a pure devotee, and rejected Śukrācārya when he instructed him not to give the three planetary systems to the Lord when He asked.
After covering the three planetary systems with His first two steps and piercing the coverings of the universe, the Lord blessed Bali Maharaja by placing His third step on his head. A settlement was thus reached: the rule of the celestial planets was returned to Purandara (the current Indra), and Bali Maharaja was again installed as the king of the lower planetary systems, ruling from Sutala. Being so satisfied with him, the Lord remains as his doorman, protecting him from all danger. When Rāvana tried to invade the lower planetary systems, for example, the Lord kicked him, sending him very far away.
Because Bali Maharaja had the desire to be the ruler of the three planetary systems, the Lord decided that he will become Indra in the next manvantara (the 8th), succeeding Purandara, the current one.
What about Prahlāda Maharaja? On SB 7.10.12, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva instructed him that, “It does not matter that you are in the material world. You should always, continuously, hear the instructions and messages given by Me and always be absorbed in the thought of Me, for I am the Supersoul existing in the core of everyone’s heart. Therefore, give up fruitive activities and worship Me.”
Prahlāda was surely worshiping the Lord while ruling the lower planetary systems, giving his association to the demons, so they could also be delivered. We can see that not only is Bali a pure devotee, but other members of the family also came to eventually attain a platform of pure devotional service. The Garga-saṁhitā, for example, reveals that Pūtanā was Ratnamālā in her previous life, the daughter of Bali Maharaja. It is described that she felt affection for Lord Vāmana when he entered the assembly of Bali Maharaja, and desired to be his mother, but angered by the Lord taking all the possessions of her father, she vowed to kill Him if she ever became his mother. This mixture of devotion and anger led her to take her next birth as the demoness Pūtanā, coming to Kṛṣṇa with the purpose of killing Him, but ending up being accepted as His mother because she fed Him with her breast. The Lord thus freed her from her demoniac nature by killing her, allowing her devotional maternal attitude to manifest, and granting her a position in Goloka Vṛndāvana as one of the assistants of mother Yaśodā.
What happened to Prahlāda after he relinquished the rulership over the lower planets at the end of the previous manvantara? Text 5.18.7 explains that he continues to worship the Lord in Hari-varṣa, along with his servants and all inhabitants, where the Lord is present in His deity form as Nṛsiṁhadeva.
His devotional sentiments are also described in the Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta, where he meets with Nārada Muni and reacts to his praise:
“I have never performed any real service for the Lord like Hanumān and others. I have only remembered the Lord sometimes, when my mind was troubled.
You praise me because He caressed me and showed other signs of affection. But some consider such affectionate behavior merely a false show of Māyā, and others just a display of His pastimes.” (BB 1.4.20-21)
We can say that by your mercy the Supreme Lord developed some love for me and so I appear glorious. But my greatness is just like a tiny speck before the heaps of mercy the Lord bestows on His newer devotees.
O Nārada, your heart overflows with causeless compassion. Why should I go on describing all my misfortunes, which simply make you unhappy? Instead, please consider the Lord’s mercy on Hanumān of the Kimpuruṣas. (BB 1.4.36-37)
Prahlāda Maharaja is the topmost devotee, but in his humility, he refuses to be acknowledged as the recipient of the Lord’s mercy, and instead sends Nārada to meet Hanumān in Kimpuruṣa‑varṣa, who in turn sends him to the Pāṇḍavas in Hastināpura. In this way, Nārada traveled all over the universe to finally understand the excellence of the selfless devotional mood of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, especially the supreme devotion of the Gopis.
Ketumāla-varṣa, the abode of Ramādevī
Different from the other varṣas of Jambūdvīpa, where the Lord is present in His deity form, in Ketumāla-varṣa He is personally present as Kāmadeva. Just as a deity has a body composed of metal, stone, or other material elements but acts spiritually, as Kāmadeva the Lord accepts a body composed of material elements, which is visible to the inhabitants, but acts transcendentally. Although material, it should be understood that His body is free from ignorance or contamination from the three material modes. He accepts a body out of His own desire, to assume a form visible to His devotees living in the material world, rather than being forced by the laws of karma, as we are. He remains the controller and is worshiped by Ramādevī (the form of Lakṣmīdevī who appeared from the churning of the milk ocean), accompanied by Prajāpati Saṁvatsara and his descendants.
In conditioned life, one who receives a male body claims to be a male, but in reality, all souls are ultimately female, part of the energy of Kṛṣṇa, and meant to serve Him. In this world, every woman desires material comfort and other facilities, but there is no need to worship the Lord for this, because all of these are supplied by the goodness of fortune, who constantly serves Him and is very attentive to the needs of His devotees. Instead, a woman should directly worship the Lord, seeing Him as the only true husband and protector.
Material life is based on sense enjoyment, but the senses are given by the Lord, who is Hṛṣīkeśa, the master and controller of the senses. Even a materialist is completely dependent on the Lord, since the power to enjoy using one’s senses comes from Him. Since in any case we are dependent on the Lord, why not accept that, and try to cultivate this transcendental relationship? A woman accepts a husband seeking maintenance, nourishment, and protection, but in any case, these come from the Lord. A man may act as a representative and appear to give these resources, but ultimately, it all comes from the Lord. Just as rain appears to come from Indra, but ultimately is bestowed by Lord Viṣnu alone, wealth, love, children, and other facilities a husband may appear to provide are in reality given by the Supreme Lord. Without His sanction, no man has the power to provide anything, being slacked to his own karma.
Therefore, developing this forgotten relationship with Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, is the true purpose of life, behind all material relationships and social conventions. Lakṣmīdevī thus guides all of us in this direction.
In certain religious traditions, the Lord is seen simply as a deliverer of punishment, someone to be feared, but this is a material conception. One who acts sinfully is, indeed, punished by the laws of karma, but this is simply the result of the mechanical material laws. Although ultimately everything is under the supervision of the Lord, He is not personally involved in these affairs. These are just mechanical results of our own activities. For example, fire is a potency of the Lord, and it is well understood that if I put my hand inside the fire, it will burn. However, if I do it, I can’t blame Kṛṣṇa for burning my hand. This is just the result of my own choice. Similarly, the scriptures explain the workings of this material world and the results of different sorts of activities. If we still decide to do it, we can’t complain when we receive the automatic result.
However, regarding the Lord’s personal dealings, He is always affectionate and merciful toward His devotees, in whatever form the devotee may choose to worship. Every time the Lord personally intervenes, it is for our ultimate benefit. Even when the Lord appears to chastise and kill a demon, He is, in reality, simply destroying one’s contamination and sending him back to Godhead. Therefore, instead of dealing with the material energy, trying to obtain favors from a husband or demigod, one should pray to the Lord and try to satisfy Him.
Ramyaka-varṣa, the seat of Vaivasvata Manu
Most of the third, fourth, and fifth cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describe pastimes that happened in the first manvantara, narrating the activities of the descendants of Svāyambhuva Manu, from Uttānapāda and Priyavrata all the way to Bharata Maharaja. The description of the worship in the different regions of Jambūdvīpa, however, describes the present, with devotees who are present there right now worshiping the Lord.
Vaivasvata is the current Manu, the 7th in the sequence. In his previous life, he was Mahārāja Satyavrata, a saintly king. To save him as well as other saintly persons from the devastation at the end of the manvantara, the Lord appeared as Matsya, the fish incarnation, providing him with a great boat and personally guiding it through the waters of devastation. This historical event led to the appearance of many stories and legends which are part of other religious traditions, such as Noah’s Ark.
Lord Matsya also instructed Satyavrata on devotional service, explaining to him the science of Sāṅkhya-yoga, as well as instructions from the Purāṇas and saṁhitās. Satyavrata came to the end of his life during the period of transition from the 6th to the 7th manvantara, and was reborn as Śrāddhadeva, the son of Vivasvān (the current sun god), assuming the post of Vaivasvata Manu. When Kṛṣṇa describes in the Gītā that “I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku”, the Manu He refers to is Śrāddhadeva.
Despite being reborn, Śrāddhadeva kept the remembrance of his relationship with Lord Matsya from his previous birth. He lives in Ramyaka-varṣa, the place where the Lord appeared, and continuously worships Him.
Aryamā, and his worship in Hiraṇmaya-varṣa
Hiraṇmaya-varṣa is the penultimate tract of land to the north (on the opposite side of Bhārata-varṣa), before Uttarakuru-varṣa. Aryamā is chief of the pitṛs, the departed ancestors. Kṛṣṇa mentions him in the Gītā when He says pitṝṇām aryamā cāsmi (of departed ancestors I am Aryamā).
The worship of the ancestors is very common among followers of the Vedas. Everyone who follows the path of fruitive activity has a duty to offer oblations to the ancestors annually, and one may also worship the ancestors seeking blessings, or the grace of joining them in Pitṛloka. However, just as with all other material blessings, this is temporary. To make this point, we have the description that although many worship the pitṛs, the leader among them worships the Supreme Lord.
Aryamā is personally devoted to Kūrmadeva, to whom he prays. Why is it that he worships this particular form of the Lord? Is there any particular reason? Prabhupāda explains that, “Each devotee regards a particular form of the Lord as most dear. Because of an atheistic mentality, some people think that the tortoise, boar, and fish incarnations of the Lord are not very beautiful. They do not know that any form of the Lord is always the fully opulent Personality of Godhead. Since one of His opulences is infinite beauty, all the Lord’s incarnations are very beautiful and are appreciated as such by devotees. Nondevotees, however, think that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s incarnations are ordinary material creatures, and therefore they distinguish between the beautiful and the not beautiful. A certain form of the Lord is worshiped by a particular devotee because he loves to see that form of the Lord.”
Some say that God can’t come to this material world, while others say He may appear, but not in a human form. Others concede that He may appear in a human form, but certainly not in an animal form. In this way, people try to impose different limits on what God can or cannot do. Kṛṣṇa, however, continues to challenge their understanding, not only reconciling all kinds of contradictory qualities in His personal form, but also assuming all kinds of forms in His incarnations, including animal forms, such as a boar, a turtle, and a fish. In all these forms, however, He appears in His transcendental body, free from any material contamination. He comes and goes out of His sweet will, just as a governor visiting a prison.
What makes animal forms, such as the form of a pig, so detestable is the influence of the material mode of ignorance, which covers the soul’s understanding and forces one to live in horrible conditions. When the soul is forced to accept an animal body, one is covered by ignorance and forgets one’s real nature. Even Indra forgot when he was cursed to become a pig. Becoming attached to his pig family and whatever enjoyment he could find in that form, he refused to become the king of heaven again when Brahmā finally came to rescue him. The Lord, however, is never covered by illusion, nor is He forced to assume a material body like an ordinary conditioned soul. He can thus assume any form he desires, including the form of a hog or a fish, without coming under any sort of material influence. He always remains transcendental; appearing in different forms is merely a show.
Bhūmi becomes present in Uttarakuru-varṣa
The word “bhūḥ” means “earth” and indicates both Bhū-mandala and the earth as the planet we live on. Somehow, these two exist simultaneously in two levels of reality, and Bhūmi is the personification of both.
Hiranyākṣa mined the earth for gold and other mineral resources so intensely that it disturbed the equilibrium of forces that keep it in its proper place. As a result, the earth fell into the depths of the Garbhodaka Ocean, and the Lord decided to personally come to save her and kill the demon.
The same Lord Varāha is present in His deity form in Uttarakuru-varṣa, the northernmost tract of land in Jambūdvīpa, where He is worshiped by Bhūmi Devi.
The whole material creation rests on the external potency of the Lord. When we are covered by the illusory potency, we see material objects as separated from Kṛṣṇa and desire to enjoy them. However, when we become purified, we can see that they are nothing but transformations of the external potency of Kṛṣṇa and thus always connected with Him. Behind the cosmic manifestation, we can see the Supersoul, the Supreme Director.
However, what is the reason for the existence of this material world? Does the Lord create this world because He wants to see us suffering here? Bhūmi concludes that the Lord does not desire to create the material world; He does so for the sake of the souls who desire to enjoy without Him.
The next point is how the Lord manipulates matter to create this material world. Does He directly associate with it? If so, then how can He remain pure? The answer is that He manipulates matter while remaining at a distance, just like a magnet moves pieces of iron without ever touching them. The Lord appears inside the material creation in so many wonderful forms and performs activities in His original, eternal spiritual body, without ever touching matter. This is yet another example of the Lord’s inconceivability, which surpasses all human logic and understanding.
Hanumān worships Lord Rāma in Kimpuruṣa-varṣa
In the Mahābhārata (Vana Parva), it is described that during their exile, the Pāṇḍavas traveled through Jambūdvīpa in their quest for celestial weapons, passing through Kimpuruṣa-varṣa before reaching Mount Sumeru. There, it is described that Bhīma met Hanumān, who accepted him as his brother.
Just as Prahlāda Maharaja, Dhruva, and others, Hanumān still lives among us, giving association to conditioned souls and helping them to come closer to the Lord. It is described that he was blessed to remain in this world as long as Rama’s glories continue to be sung.
As Rāmacandra, the Lord plays many dramatic, human-like pastimes, having His wife kidnapped, making political alliances, fighting in a war, and so on. However, different from ordinary human activities, these pastimes are wonderful and fully transcendental. The Lord has no need for a wife or kingdom, and certainly does not need to fear any enemy. However, as Rāma, the Lord teaches by His own example how to follow the path of virtue and thus attain success in human life, alerting us for the difficulties we have to face when we try to obtain happiness in family life.
Lord Rāmacandra gave the perfect example of a moral life. Even today in India, people are inspired by the example of Lord Rama, and this pushes them in the direction of a moral life, conducive to spiritual advancement. In his commentary, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura mentions that people are praised for having good qualities, such as truthfulness, compassion, etc. However, all these good qualities reach their perfection in the character of Lord Rāmacandra. He is the nikaṣaṇa, or testing stone, against which the extent of one’s good qualities can be tested.
Rāvana received a boon from Brahmā that he could not be killed by any Gandharva, Yakṣa, Deva, Dānava, or Rākṣa. With this, he became undefeatable by any of the powerful species of the universe. Once he invaded the hellish worlds and fought with Yamarāja himself, who (being a demigod) had to retreat because of this boom. Similarly, Rāvana fought with many other powerful beings all around the universe.
The Supreme Lord can do anything and is not restricted by boons granted by anyone. However, He usually respects the blessings given by the demigods, who are His devotees. Rāvana didn’t include human beings and animals in his request, considering them insignificant, and therefore the Lord appeared in the form of a human being, leading an army of monkeys and bears to kill him. These adventurous aspects of the Rāma-līlā are extremely attractive, but killing Rāvana was actually secondary. The purpose of the appearance of the Lord is to perform sweet pastimes with His devotees and teach the principles of dharma.
Being Kṛṣṇa so exalted, we may think we need a long list of material qualities and accomplishments to be able to become close to him, but in reality, none of that is necessary. The only thing we need is devotion. Lord Rāma gave the example by associating with monkeys and bears in the forest, who lacked any high qualification by material standards.
Sometimes, asuras perform great austerities, like Hiraṇyakaśipu, who meditated by standing upright for so long that all the flesh in his body was consumed by ants and parasites. A devotee, however, can approach the Lord simply by his or her attitude of service. Because of His wonderful pastimes and personal qualities, Lord Rāma inspires this attitude of service and is thus extremely potent in liberating practically all living entities who come in contact with Him. Prabhupāda, however, calls our attention to the fact that Lord Rāmacandra and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are one and the same. Lord Caitanya is represented in the six-armed form of ṣaḍ-bhūja-mūrti, showing that He is simultaneously Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. All the prayers of Hanumān, therefore, directly apply to all three of them. By worshiping these three forms, one can easily attain the goal of life.
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