Shloka 13

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

Devanagari script

सितं हि अतलं तच्च तलं यच्च सितेतरम् क्ष्मायास्तु यावद्विस्तारो ह्य् अधस्तेषां च सुव्रताः

Transliteration

sitaṃ hi atalaṃ tacca talaṃ yacca sitetaram kṣmāyāstu yāvadvistāro hy adhasteṣāṃ ca suvratāḥ

Translation

Atala is indeed described as “white”; and that Tala is of a different (non‑white) hue. O you of good vows, the extent of these regions below is said to be as wide as the spread of the earth.

Word by Word

• सितम् (sitam): white, bright

• हि (hi): indeed

• अतलम् (atalam): Atala (a netherworld)

• तत् (tat): that

• च (ca): and

• तलम् (talam): Tala (a netherworld/region)

• यत् (yat): which

• च (ca): and

• सितेतरम् (sitetaram): of another color than white, non-white

• क्ष्मायाः (kṣmāyāḥ): of the earth

• तु (tu): indeed/and

• यावत् (yāvat): as much as, to the extent

• विस्तारः (vistāraḥ): extent, breadth

• हि (hi): certainly

• अधस्तेषाम् (adhasteṣām): of those below, of the lower regions

• च (ca): and

• सुव्रताः (suvratāḥ): O virtuous ones, O you of good vows

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Atala
• Tala
• Kshma (Earth)

FAQs

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

By mapping the lower worlds and their measures, the verse frames the cosmos as an ordered domain under Pati (Shiva), supporting Linga worship as alignment with the supreme regulator beyond all lokas.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as transcendent to color, region, and measure: even as Atala and Tala have describable qualities, Pati remains the governing reality beyond such attributes, while the worlds function within his cosmic order.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; the takeaway is yogic viveka—knowing the lokas’ limited, measurable nature encourages Pashupata-style detachment from bhoga and steadiness in Shiva-upasana.