Vamana Purana — Sacred Abodes of Vishnu & Shiva, Shloka 35

Catalogue of Vishnu and Shiva’s Sacred Abodes (Tirtha-Mahatmya within the Pulastya–Narada Frame)

Devanagari script

रसातले च विख्यातं सहस्रशिरसं मुने कालाग्निरुद्रं तत्रैव तथान्यं कृत्तिवाससम्

Transliteration

rasātale ca vikhyātaṃ sahasraśirasaṃ mune kālāgnirudraṃ tatraiva tathānyaṃ kṛttivāsasam

Translation

हे मुने, रसातल में ‘सहस्रशिरस्’ (हजार-शीर्ष) प्रसिद्ध है; वहीं ‘कालाग्निरुद्र’ तथा उसी प्रकार ‘कृत्तिवासस्’ (चर्म-वस्त्रधारी) नामक अन्य रूप भी है।

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher voice addressing a sage (mune); specific interlocutors not stated in the given excerpt

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Rudra)
• Kālāgnirudra
• Kṛttivāsas
• Ananta/Śeṣa (implied by sahasraśiras)

Key Themes

• Pātāla cosmography
• Multiplicity of divine forms
• Śaiva theophanies in nether realms
• Cosmic support/dissolution symbolism

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Who is the “thousand-headed” (sahasraśiras) figure in Rasātala?

In Purāṇic cosmology, “thousand-headed” most naturally recalls Ananta/Śeṣa, the serpent of infinity who supports worlds. Some recensions also apply such epithets to vast cosmic forms; the verse’s placement among netherworld identifications supports the Ananta/Śeṣa reading.

Why are fierce Śiva-forms (Kālāgnirudra, Kṛttivāsas) located in Rasātala?

Purāṇas often distribute divine manifestations across all cosmic tiers—heavens, earth, and netherworlds—signaling sovereignty everywhere. Kālāgnirudra represents time-fire and dissolution; Kṛttivāsas signals ascetic/cremation-ground power, thematically resonant with subterranean, liminal realms.

Is this passage a tīrtha description or a cosmological catalogue?

It functions as a cosmological catalogue: it names a loka (Rasātala) and associates it with renowned divine presences, rather than prescribing pilgrimage rites or terrestrial river/forest sites.