तमेव देवदेवेशमाराधयति भक्तितः । व्यपेतसाध्वसोऽद्यापि वर्तते सुतलाधिपः
He, the lord of Sutala, worships that very Lord of gods with devotion, and, free from all fear, remains there even now.
भूमिदानफलं ह्येतत्पात्रभूतेऽखिलेश्वरे । वर्णयन्ति महात्मानो नैतद्युक्तं च नारद
This is said to be the fruit of giving the earth, when the Lord of all became the recipient; the great souls describe it thus, but, O Nārada, this is not proper.
वासुदेवे भगवति पुरुषार्थप्रदे हरौ । एतद्दानफलं विप्र सर्वथा नहि युज्यते
O Brahmin, the fruit of this gift can in no way be equaled, when offered to Bhagavan Vasudeva, Hari, the bestower of all human goals.
यस्यैव देवदेवस्य नामापि विवशो गृणन् । स्वकीयकर्मबन्धीयगुणान्विधुनुतेऽञ्जसा
Simply by uttering the name of that very God of gods, even unintentionally, one swiftly casts off the binding qualities of one's own karma.
यत्क्लेशबन्धहानाय सांख्ययोगादिसाधनम् । कुर्वते यतयो नित्यं भगवत्यखिलेश्वरे
For the removal of the bonds of suffering, ascetics constantly practice means such as Sāṅkhya and Yoga, directed toward the all-lordly Bhagavan.
न चायं भगवानस्माननुजग्राह नारद । मायामयं च भोगानामैश्वर्यं व्यतनोत्परम्
Yet this Bhagavan did not show us favor, O Nārada; instead, he bestowed upon us enjoyments and lordship, all composed of illusion.
सर्वक्लेशाधिहेतुं तदात्मानुस्मृतिमोषणम् । यं साक्षाद्भगवान् विष्णुः सर्वोपायविदीश्वरः
That which is the root of all suffering—the theft of remembrance of the self—was directly caused by Bhagavan Viṣṇu, the all-knowing Lord of means.
याञ्जाछलेनापहृतं सर्वस्वं देहशेषकम् । अप्राप्तान्योपाय ईशः पाशैर्वारुणसंभवैः
By the pretense of a request, all our possessions down to our very bodies were taken away, and the Lord, unable to obtain them otherwise, bound us with Varuṇa’s nooses.
बन्धयित्वावमुच्यापि गिरिदर्यामिवाब्रवीत् । असाविन्द्रो महामूढो यस्य मन्त्री बृहस्पतिः
After binding us and then releasing us in a mountain cave, he said: 'That Indra is truly deluded, whose counselor is Bṛhaspati.'
प्रसन्नमिममत्यर्थमयाचल्लोकसम्पदम् । त्रैलोक्यमिदमैश्वर्यं कियदेवातितुच्छकम्
This entire wealth of the worlds, which I obtained when he was pleased, and this sovereignty over the three worlds—how utterly insignificant it is!
आशिषां प्रभवं मुक्त्वा यो मूढो लोकसम्पदि । अस्मत्पितामहः श्रीमान् प्रह्लादो भगवत्प्रियः
Abandoning the source of all blessings, he who is deluded delights in worldly prosperity; our illustrious ancestor Prahlāda, beloved of Bhagavan, did not.
दास्यं वव्रे विभोस्तस्य सर्वलोकोपकारकः । पित्र्यमैश्वर्यमतुलं दीयमानं च विष्णुना
He, the benefactor of all worlds, chose servitude to the Lord, even when Viṣṇu himself offered him unequaled ancestral sovereignty.
पितर्युपरते वीरे नैवैच्छद्भगवत्प्रियः । तस्यातुलानुभावस्य सर्वलोकोपधीमतः
When his heroic father passed away, that devotee of Bhagavan did not desire it; such was the incomparable wisdom of him who was the support of all worlds.
अस्मद्विधो नाल्पपक्वेतरदोषोऽवगच्छति । एवं दैत्यपतिः सोऽयं बलिः परमपूजितः
One such as I, of little merit, cannot comprehend the greatness of that Daitya king Bali, who is supremely worshipped.
सुतले वर्तते यस्य द्वारपालो हरिः स्वयम् । एकदा दिग्विजये राजा रावणो लोकरावणः
He dwells in Sutala, whose gatekeeper is Hari himself; once, the world-disturbing king Rāvaṇa set out to conquer the directions.
प्रविशन्सुतले येन भक्तानुग्रहकारिणा । पादाङ्गुष्ठेन प्रक्षिप्तो योजनायुतमत्र हि
Entering Sutala, he was cast down by the compassionate Lord, who favors his devotees, with just the tip of his foot, for ten thousand yojanas.
एवंभूतानुभावोऽयं बलिः सर्वसुखैकभुक् । आस्ते सुतलराजस्थो देवदेवप्रसादतः
Such is the greatness of Bali, the sole enjoyer of all happiness, who dwells as king in Sutala by the grace of the God of gods.
तलातलादिलोकवर्णनेऽनन्तवर्णनम् श्रीनारायण उवाच ततोऽधस्ताद्विवरकं तलातलमुदीरितम् । दानवेन्द्रो मयो नाम त्रिपुराधिपतिर्महान्
Description of Talātala and other worlds: Śrī Nārāyaṇa said—Below that lies the region called Talātala, where the mighty Dānava king Maya, lord of Tripura, resides.
त्रिलोक्याः शङ्करेणायं पालितो दग्धपूस्त्रयः । देवदेवप्रसादात्तु लब्धराज्यसुखास्पदः
He, whose three cities were burned by Śaṅkara, is protected by him and, by the grace of the God of gods, enjoys the happiness of regained sovereignty over the three worlds.
आचार्यो मायिनां सोऽयं नानामायाविशारदः । पूज्यते राक्षसैर्घोरैः सर्वकार्यसमृद्धये
He is the teacher of magicians, skilled in manifold magical arts, and is worshipped by fierce Rākṣasas for the accomplishment of all their undertakings.
ततोऽधस्तास्तुविख्यातं महातलमिति स्फुटम् । सर्पाणां काद्रवेयाणां गणः क्रोधवशो महान्
Below that is the well-known Mahātala, clearly named, where the great host of serpents, the Kādraveyas, reside, driven by wrath.
अनेकशिरसां विप्र प्रधानान्कीर्तयामि ते । कुहकस्तक्षकश्चैव सुषेणः कालियस्तथा
O sage, I will recount to you the chief among the many-headed ones: Kuhaka, Takṣaka, Suṣeṇa, and also Kāliya.
महाभोगा महासत्त्वाः क्रूराः क्रूरस्वजातयः । पतत्रिराजाधिपतेरुद्विग्नाः सर्व एव ते
They are of mighty coils, great strength, fierce, and of a cruel lineage; all of them are agitated by the king of birds.
स्वकलत्रापत्यसुहृत्कुटुम्बस्य च सङ्गताः । प्रमत्ता विहरन्त्येव नानाक्रीडाविशारदाः
Gathered with their wives, children, friends, and families, they roam about heedlessly, skilled in various games.
ततोऽधस्ताच्च विवरे रसातलसमाह्वये । दैतेया निवसन्त्येव पणयो दानवाश्च ये
Below that, in the region called Rasātala, the Daityas, Paṇis, and those known as Dānavas dwell.
निवातकवचा नाम हिरण्यपुरवासिनः । कालेया इति च प्रोक्ताः प्रत्यनीका हविर्भुजाम्
Called the Nivātakavacas, inhabitants of Hiraṇyapura, and also known as Kāleyas, they are adversaries of the sacrificers.
महौजसश्चोत्पत्त्यैव महासाहसिनस्तथा । सकलेशस्य च हरेस्तेजसा हतविक्रमाः
They are of great might from birth, exceedingly bold, but all their power was subdued by the energy of Hari, the Lord of all.
बिलेशया इव सदा विवरे निवसन्ति हि । ये वै वाग्भिः सरमया शक्रदूत्या निरन्तरम्
Like cave-dwellers, they always reside in the cavern, those who are constantly assailed by the harsh words of Indra’s messengers.
मन्त्रवर्णाभिरसुरास्ताडिता बिभ्यति स्म ह । ततोऽप्यधस्तात्पाताले नागलोकाधिपालकाः
Struck by the mantric utterances, those Asuras became fearful; and below that, in Pātāla, are the guardians of the serpent realms.
वासुकिप्रमुखाः शङ्खः कुलिकः श्वेत एव च । धनञ्जयो महाशङ्खो धृतराष्ट्रस्तथैव च
Foremost among them are Vāsuki, Śaṅkha, Kulika, Śveta, Dhanañjaya, Mahāśaṅkha, and Dhṛtarāṣṭra.