120 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 5, Ch. 17

flows into the southern side of the ocean of salt water. Many other rivers
and their branches flow through the nine varsas.

The tract of land known as Bharata-varsa is the field of activities, and
the other eight varsas are for persons who are meant to enjoy heavenly
comfort. In each of these eight beautiful provinces, the celestial denizens
enjoy various standards of material comfort and pleasure. A different in-
carnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead distributes His mercy
in each of the nine varsas of Jambidvipa.

In the llavrta-varsa. Lord Siva is the only male. There he lives with his
wife, Bhavani, who is attended by many maidservants. If any other male
enters that province, Bhavani curses him to become a woman. Lord Siva
worships Lord Sankarsana by offering various prayers, one of which is as
follows: “My dear Lord, please liberate all Your devotees from material
life and bind all the nondevotees to the material world. Without Your
mercy, no one can be released from the bondage of material existence.”

TEXT 1
TH SUT
qa WAT: TaaoRe Asofiaaa aateREAafaa-
QTR AMAT A AAAI es ai a
MUPPACMIUMALASHICATASIANTAAA AS «ATATRATTAIT AT
arorarastrdtrarant ered Hea | gTaeareata feat
qaqa TafeyIeae: 12M

Sri-Suka uvaca
tatra bhagavatah saksad yajna-lingasya visnor vikramato vama-
padarngustha-nakha-nirbhinnordhvanda-kataha-vivarenantah-pravista
ya bahya-jala-dhara tac-carana-pankajavanejanaruna-
kinjalkoparanjitakhila-jagad-agha-malapahopasparsanamala saksad
bhagavat-padity anupalaksita-vaco ’bhidhiyamanati-mahata kdlena
yuga-sahasropalaksanena divo mirdhany avatatara yat tad visnu-

padam ahuh.
