Shloka 17

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

Devanagari script

विरोचनहिरण्याक्षनरकाद्यैश् च सेवितम् तलातलमिति ख्यातं सर्वशोभासमन्वितम्

Transliteration

virocanahiraṇyākṣanarakādyaiś ca sevitam talātalamiti khyātaṃ sarvaśobhāsamanvitam

Translation

وتلك المملكةُ يؤمّها ويخدمها فيروتشَنا (Virocana) وهيرانيَاكشا (Hiraṇyākṣa) ونَرَكَة (Naraka) وغيرهم؛ وهي مشهورةٌ باسم «تَلاتَلَة» (Talātala)، متلألئةُ الجمال من كل جانب.

Word by Word

• विरोचन (virocana): Virocana

• हिरण्याक्ष (hiraṇyākṣa): Hiraṇyākṣa

• नरक (naraka): Naraka (a named asura/king)

• आद्यैः (ādyaiḥ): and others

• च (ca): and

• सेवितम् (sevitam): frequented/attended/inhabited

• तलातलम् (talātalam): the netherworld named Talātala

• इति (iti): thus

• ख्यातम् (khyātam): famed/known

• सर्व (sarva): all/every

• शोभा (śobhā): beauty/splendour

• समन्वितम् (samanvitam): endowed with/possessed of

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Virocana
• Hiranyaksha
• Naraka
• Talatala

FAQs

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

By locating even Talātala within an ordered, beautiful cosmos, the verse implies that all realms—high or low—stand within Pati (Śiva)’s governance; Linga worship is therefore not limited by place, since the Linga signifies Śiva’s all-pervading lordship.

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

Indirectly, it points to Śiva-tattva as the sovereign ordering principle: even domains associated with asuras are integrated into a structured creation, indicating Pati’s transcendent rule over pashus across every loka.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific puja-vidhi or Pāśupata-yoga technique is stated; the takeaway is contemplative—use cosmological mapping as dhyāna to recognize Śiva (Pati) as present beyond all boundaries of loka and status.