Shloka 16

Adhyaya 45: Rudra as Sarvatma—Seven Lokas, Seven Talas, and the Cosmic Body of Shiva

Devanagari script

सुवर्णेन मुनिश्रेष्ठास् तथा वासुकिना शुभम् रसातलमिति ख्यातं तथान्यैश् च निषेवितम्

Transliteration

suvarṇena muniśreṣṭhās tathā vāsukinā śubham rasātalamiti khyātaṃ tathānyaiś ca niṣevitam

Translation

يا أفضلَ الحكماء، إن تلك البقعةَ المباركةَ الموشّاةَ بالذهب، والتي يتولّى أمرَها فاسُكي (Vāsuki)، مشهورةٌ باسم «رَساطَلَة» (Rasātala)؛ وتسكنها كذلك كائناتٌ أخرى وتؤمّها.

Word by Word

• सुवर्णेन: with gold/with golden adornment

• मुनिश्रेष्ठाः: O best of sages

• तथा: and/also

• वासुकिना: by Vāsuki (the Nāga king)

• शुभम्: auspicious, splendid

• रसातलम्: Rasātala (a netherworld region)

• इति: thus

• ख्यातम्: famed, well-known

• तथा: likewise

• अन्यैः: by others/other beings

• च: also

• निषेवितम्: inhabited, frequented, resorted to

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Vasuki

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

By locating Rasātala within the ordered cosmos, the verse supports the Purāṇic vision that all realms are contained within Śiva’s sovereign order (Pati), making Liṅga-pūjā a universal act that sanctifies every level of existence.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Though Śiva is not named, the verse reflects Śiva-tattva indirectly: even netherworld realms function in harmony and splendor, implying an underlying, regulating Lordship (Pati) that upholds and illumines the worlds beyond the reach of ordinary perception.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this line; the takeaway is contemplative: Pāśupata practitioners use such cosmological mapping for dhyāna—recognizing all lokas as encompassed by Pati, loosening pasha (bondage) through right vision.