Shloka 23

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

Devanagari script

तलानां चैव सर्वेषाम् ऊर्ध्वतः सप्तसप्तमाः क्ष्मातलानि धरा चापि सप्तधा कथयामि वः

Transliteration

talānāṃ caiva sarveṣām ūrdhvataḥ saptasaptamāḥ kṣmātalāni dharā cāpi saptadhā kathayāmi vaḥ

Translation

సర్వ తలాల పైభాగంలో క్రమంగా ఏడు ఏడు భూమితలాలు ఉన్నాయి; ధరా (ఆధారభూత భూమి) కూడా ఏడు విధాలుగా చెప్పబడింది—ఇవన్నీ ఇప్పుడు మీకు వివరిస్తాను।

Word by Word

• talānām: of the talas (nether realms)

• ca eva: and indeed

• sarveṣām: of all

• ūrdhvataḥ: above, upwards

• sapta-saptamāḥ: seven in successive tiers (sevenfold series)

• kṣmā-talāni: earth-levels/terrestrial strata

• dharā: the supporting Earth

• ca api: and also

• saptadhā: in seven ways, sevenfold

• kathayāmi: I describe, I shall explain

• vaḥ: to you (plural).

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Suta Goswami

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva’s cosmos as a graded, orderly manifestation, encouraging the devotee to move from attachment to lower and higher lokas toward the Pati (Shiva) who transcends all levels—thus grounding Linga-worship in a vision of cosmic hierarchy.

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

By presenting the worlds as structured layers, it implies a governing intelligence behind manifestation; in Shaiva Siddhanta, Shiva as Pati is the transcendent Lord who supports and regulates the cosmos while remaining beyond its sevenfold divisions.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A contemplative practice (dhyāna) on cosmic levels is implied—used in Pashupata-oriented vairāgya to loosen pasha (bondage) by seeing all lokas as transient compared to the stability of Shiva-tattva represented by the Linga.