Shloka 2

Pātāla and Naraka Enumeration; Brahmāṇḍa-Āvaraṇa and Nārāyaṇa’s Pervasion

Devanagari script

अतलं वितलं चैव नितलं च गभस्तिमत् / महाख्यं सुतलं चाग्र्यं पातालं चापि सप्तमम्

Transliteration

atalaṃ vitalaṃ caiva nitalaṃ ca gabhastimat / mahākhyaṃ sutalaṃ cāgryaṃ pātālaṃ cāpi saptamam

Translation

阿塔拉、维塔拉与尼塔拉；伽婆斯提末；摩诃迦；最胜的苏塔拉；以及第七的帕塔拉——这些便是七重地下界。

Word by Word

• atalaṃ: Atala
• atalaṃ: Karma/Enumeration item (Object in list)
• Type: Noun
• Root: atala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; पाताल-विशेषनाम

• vitalaṃ: Vitala
• vitalaṃ: Karma/Enumeration item
• Type: Noun
• Root: vitala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; पाताल-विशेषनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis: indeed/just)

• nitalaṃ: Nitala
• nitalaṃ: Karma/Enumeration item
• Type: Noun
• Root: nitala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; पाताल-विशेषनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• gabhastimat: Gabhastimat
• gabhastimat: Karma/Enumeration item
• Type: Noun
• Root: gabhastimat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; पाताल-विशेषनाम

• mahā-ākhyam: Mahākhya
• mahā-ākhyam: Karma/Enumeration item
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महदाख्यम् = great-named)

• sutalaṃ: Sutala
• sutalaṃ: Karma/Enumeration item
• Type: Noun
• Root: sutala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; पाताल-विशेषनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• agryam: foremost / excellent
• agryam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• pātālam: Pātāla
• pātālam: Karma/Enumeration item
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (also)

• saptamam: seventh
• saptamam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptama (प्रातिपदिक; क्रमवाचक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक (ordinal)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda / Vinatā-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Reality is tiered; naming and knowing the lokas is part of Purāṇic vidyā that supports ethical and devotional orientation.

Vedantic Theme: Nāma-rūpa classification within māyā; knowledge organizes experience while pointing beyond it.

Application: Use the list as a contemplative map: recognize layered tendencies within oneself (lower impulses vs higher aims) and choose uplift through dharma/bhakti.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: seven nether regions (pātālas)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana cosmology and later naraka listings (continuation in this adhyāya)

Characters & Entities

• Atala
• Vitala
• Nitala
• Gabhas-timat
• Mahākhya
• Sutala
• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the importance of the seven Pātāla-lokas in the Garuda Purana?

This verse preserves the canonical list and order of the seven nether regions, anchoring Garuda Purana’s cosmography and later descriptions of the lower worlds.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: it sets the cosmological map (including lower realms) within which later sections describe post-death journeys, karmic outcomes, and otherworldly domains.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a reminder that Hindu texts frame life within a vast moral-cosmic order—encouraging dharmic conduct rather than fixation on fear of lower realms.