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.
शङ्खचूडः कम्बलाश्वतरो देवोपदत्तकः । महामर्षा महाभोगा निवसन्ति विषोल्बणाः
Śaṅkhacūḍa, Kambala, Aśvatara, and Devopadattaka—these, filled with great wrath and mighty coils, dwell there, abundant in venom.
पञ्चमस्तकवन्तश्च फणासप्तकभूषिताः । केचिद्दशफणाः केचिच्छतशीर्षास्तथापरे
Some have five heads, adorned with seven hoods; some have ten hoods, and others possess a hundred heads.
सहस्रशिरसः केऽपि रोचिष्णुमणिधारकाः । पातालरन्ध्रतिमिरनिकरं स्वमरीचिभिः
Some have a thousand heads, bearing radiant jewels, and with their rays they dispel the dense darkness of the Pātāla caverns.
विधमन्ति च देवर्षे सदा सञ्जातमन्यवः । अस्य मूलप्रदेशे हि त्रिंशत्साहस्रकेऽन्तरे
O divine sage, ever wrathful, they scatter the masses of darkness in the chasms of Pātāla with their own brilliance.
योजनैः परिसंख्याते तामसी भगवत्कला । अनन्ताख्या समास्ते हि सर्वदेवप्रपूजिता
At the root of this region, within a space measured as thirty thousand yojanas, abides the tamasic power of the Lord, known as Ananta, worshipped by all the gods.
अहमित्यभिमानस्य लक्षणं यं प्रचक्षते । सङ्कर्षणं सात्वतीयाः कर्षणं द्रष्ट्टदृश्ययोः
That which is described as the mark of the sense of 'I am'—the Sātvatas call it Saṅkarṣaṇa, the force that draws together the seer and the seen.
इदं भूमण्डलं यस्य सहस्रशिरसः प्रभोः । अनन्तमूर्तेः शेषस्य ध्रियमाणं च शीर्षके
This earth-globe is upheld upon the head of the thousand-headed Lord, the infinite form of Śeṣa.
पृध्वीगोलमशेषं हि सिद्धार्थ इव लक्ष्यते । यस्य कालेन देवस्य सञ्जिहीर्षोः समं विभोः
The entire sphere of the earth appears as if it were a perfected treasure, supported by the will of that divine Lord, who, in the course of time, intends to withdraw it.
चराचरं भ्रुवोरन्तर्विवरादुदपद्यत । साङ्कर्षणो नाम रुद्रो व्यूहैकादशशोभितः
From the space between his eyebrows arose the moving and unmoving universe, and from there appeared Sankarshana, named Rudra, adorned with eleven forms.
त्रिलोचनश्च त्रिशिखं शूलमुत्तम्भयन्स्वयम् । उदतिष्ठन्महासत्त्वो महाभूतक्षयङ्करः
He is three-eyed, with three locks of hair, holding a trident aloft by his own power; that great being, of immense strength, stands forth, the destroyer of the great elements.