अस्मिन्नेव वर्षे पुरुषैर्लब्धजन्मभि: शुक्ललोहितकृष्णवर्णेन स्वारब्धेन कर्मणा दिव्यमानुषनारकगतयो बह्व्य: आत्मन आनुपूर्व्येण सर्वा ह्येव सर्वेषां विधीयन्ते यथावर्णविधानमपवर्गश्चापि भवति ॥ १९ ॥
asminn eva varse purusair labdha-janmabhih sukla-lohita-krsna-varnena svarabdhena karmana divya-manusa-naraka-gatayo bahvya atmana anupurvyena sarva hy eva sarvesam vidhiyante yatha-varna-vidhanam apavargas capi bhavati.
- asmin eva varse
- in this tract of land (Bharata-varsa)
- purusaih
- by the people
- labdha-janmabhih
- who have taken birth
- sukla
- of the mode of goodness
- lohita
- of the mode of passion
- krsna
- of the mode of ignorance
- varnena
- according to the division
- sva
- by himself
- arabdhena
- begun
- karmana
- by activities
- divya
- divine
- manusa
- human
- naraka
- hellish
- gatayah
- goals
- bahvyah
- many
- atmanah
- of his own
- anupurvyena
- according to acts performed previously
- sarvah
- all
- hi
- certainly
- eva
- indeed
- sarvesam
- of all of them
- vidhiyante
- are allotted
- yatha-varna-vidhanam
- in terms of different castes
- apavargah
- the path of liberation
- ca
- and
- api
- also
- bhavati
- is possible
The people who take birth in this tract of land are divided according to the qualities of material nature—the modes of goodness (sattva-guna), passion (rajo-guna), and ignorance (tamo-guna). Some of them are born as exalted personalities, some are ordinary human beings, and some are extremely abominable, for in Bharata-varsa one takes birth exactly according to one’s past karma. If one’s position is ascertained by a bona fide spiritual master and one is properly trained to engage in the service of Lord Visnu according to the four social divisions (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra) and the four spiritual divisions (brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa), one’s life becomes perfect.