Vamana Purana — Sacred Abodes of Vishnu & Shiva, Shloka 35
Tirtha-Mahatmya Catalogue
रसातले च विख्यातं सहस्रशिरसं मुने कालाग्निरुद्रं तत्रैव तथान्यं कृत्तिवाससम्
rasātale ca vikhyātaṃ sahasraśirasaṃ mune kālāgnirudraṃ tatraiva tathānyaṃ kṛttivāsasam
शब्दशास्त्रविदित्येव दोषघ्नश्चेत्यवस्थितः तत्रासतस्तरुण्यस्ता ओदनाम्बुफलादिभिः
{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
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.
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.
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.