Linga Purana

शैलं रसातलं विप्राः शार्करं हि तलातलम् पीतं सुतलमित्युक्तं वितलं विद्रुमप्रभम्

O Brahmins, Rasātala is a mountain; Śārkara is Talātala; Pīta is called Sutala; Vitala shines like coral.

सितं हि अतलं तच्च तलं यच्च सितेतरम् क्ष्मायास्तु यावद्विस्तारो ह्य् अधस्तेषां च सुव्रताः

Atala is white, and so is Tala; and whatever else is white among them; O virtuous ones, their extent is as great as the earth below.

तलानां चैव सर्वेषां तावत्संख्या समाहिता सहस्रयोजनं व्योम दशसाहस्रमेव च

The number of all these Talas is thus established; the sky is a thousand yojanas, and ten thousand as well.

लक्षं सप्तसहस्रं हि तलानां सघनस्य तु व्योम्नः प्रमाणं मूलं तु त्रिंशत्साहस्रकेण तु

A hundred thousand and seven thousand is the measure of the dense Talas; the root of the sky is thirty thousand.

सुवर्णेन मुनिश्रेष्ठास् तथा वासुकिना शुभम् रसातलमिति ख्यातं तथान्यैश् च निषेवितम्

O best of sages, Rasātala is renowned as golden and auspicious, inhabited by Vāsuki and others.

विरोचनहिरण्याक्षनरकाद्यैश् च सेवितम् तलातलमिति ख्यातं सर्वशोभासमन्वितम्

Talātala is served by Virocana, Hiraṇyākṣa, Naraka, and others; it is known as being endowed with all splendor.

वैनायकादिभिश्चैव कालनेमिपुरोगमैः पूर्वदेवैः समाकीर्णं सुतलं च तथापरैः

Sutala is filled with the ancient gods, led by Vaināyaka and Kālanemi, and with others as well.

वितलं दानवाद्यैश् च तारकाग्निमुखैस् तथा महान्तकाद्यैर् नागैश् च प्रह्लादेनासुरेण च

Vitala is inhabited by Dānavas, Tāraka, Agnimukha, Mahāntaka, Nāgas, and by the Asura Prahlāda.

वितलं चात्र विख्यातं कम्बलाश्वनिषेवितम् महाकुम्भेन वीरेण हयग्रीवेण धीमता

Vitala is also renowned as being served by Kambala and Aśva; by the heroic Mahākumbha and the wise Hayagrīva.

शङ्कुकर्णेन संभिन्नं तथा नमुचिपूर्वकैः तथान्यैर् विविधैर् वीरैस् तलं चैव सुशोभितम्

It is divided by Śaṅkukarṇa, by Namuci and his followers, and by various other heroes; Tala is thus beautifully adorned.

तलेषु तेषु सर्वेषु चाम्बया परमेश्वरः स्कन्देन नन्दिना सार्धं गणपैः सर्वतो वृतः

In all these realms, the supreme lord is present with Ambā, Skanda, Nandin, and surrounded everywhere by the Gaṇas.

तलानां चैव सर्वेषाम् ऊर्ध्वतः सप्तसप्तमाः क्ष्मातलानि धरा चापि सप्तधा कथयामि वः

Above all the Talas, there are seven sets of seven earth realms; I shall describe to you the seven divisions of the earth.

सप्तद्वीपा तथा पृथ्वी नदीपर्वतसंकुला समुद्रैः सप्तभिश्चैव सर्वतः समलंकृता

The earth consists of seven continents, filled with rivers and mountains, and is adorned on all sides by seven oceans.

जम्बूः प्लक्षः शाल्मलिश् च कुशः क्रौञ्चस्तथैव च शाकः पुष्करनामा च द्वीपास्त्वभ्यन्तरे क्रमात्

Jambū, Plakṣa, Śālmalī, Kuśa, Krauñca, Śāka, and Puṣkara—these are the islands within, in order.

सप्तद्वीपेषु सर्वेषु साम्बः सर्वगणैर्वृतः नानावेषधरो भूत्वा सान्निध्यं कुरुते हरः

In all the seven islands, Hara, surrounded by all his hosts, assumes various forms and manifests his presence.

क्षारोदेक्षुरसोदश् च सुरोदश् च घृतोदधिः दध्यर्णवश् च क्षीरोदः स्वादूदश्चाप्यनुक्रमात्

Salt water, sugarcane juice, wine, clarified butter, curd-ocean, milk-ocean, and sweet water—these are the oceans, in sequence.

समुद्रेष्विह सर्वेषु सर्वदा सगणः शिवः जलरूपी भवः श्रीमान् क्रीडते चोर्मिबाहुभिः

In all these oceans, at all times, Śiva with his attendants, taking the form of water, the glorious one, sports with arms of waves.

क्षीरार्णवामृतमिव सदा क्षीरार्णवे हरिः शेते शिवज्ञानधिया साक्षाद्वै योगनिद्रया

Just as nectar is in the ocean of milk, so Hari always lies in the milk-ocean, in direct awareness of Śiva, in yogic sleep.

यदा प्रबुद्धो भगवान् प्रबुद्धमखिलं जगत् यदा सुप्तस्तदा सुप्तं तन्मयं च चराचरम्

When the Blessed Lord awakens, the whole world awakens; when he sleeps, all that moves and does not move, pervaded by him, sleeps as well.

तेनैव सृष्टमखिलं धृतं रक्षितमेव च संहृतं देवदेवस्य प्रसादात्परमेष्ठिनः

By him alone, all is created, sustained, and protected, and dissolved too—by the grace of the supreme Lord of gods.

सुषेणा इति विख्याता यजन्ते पुरुषर्षभम् अनिरुद्धं मुनिश्रेष्ठाः शङ्खचक्रगदाधरम्

Known as Suṣeṇa, the best of sages worship the supreme person Aniruddha, who bears the conch, discus, and mace.

ये चानिरुद्धं पुरुषं ध्यायन्त्यात्मविदां वराः नारायणसमाः सर्वे सर्वसंपत्समन्विताः

And those best among knowers of the self who meditate on Aniruddha, the person, are all equal to Nārāyaṇa, endowed with every prosperity.

सनन्दनश् च भगवान् सनकश् च सनातनः वालखिल्याश् च सिद्धाश् च मित्रावरुणकौ तथा

Sanandana, the Blessed One, Sanaka, Sanātana, the Vālakhilya sages, the Siddhas, and also Mitra and Varuṇa—

यजन्ति सततं तत्र विश्वस्य प्रभवं हरिम् सप्तद्वीपेषु तिष्ठन्ति नानाशृङ्गा महोदयाः

They constantly worship Hari, the source of the universe, there; in the seven islands stand many great peaks with various summits.

आसमुद्रायताः केचिद् गिरयो गह्वरैस् तथा धरायाः पतयश्चासन् बहवः कालगौरवात्

Some mountains extend as far as the ocean, with caves as well; many lords of the earth have existed, due to the weight of time.

सामर्थ्यात्परमेशानाः क्रौञ्चारेर्जनकात्प्रभोः मन्वन्तरेषु सर्वेषु अतीतानागतेष्विह

By the power of the supreme lords, from the progenitor of Krauñca's enemy, in all the past and future manvantaras, here—

प्रवक्ष्यामि धरेशान् वो वक्ष्ये स्वायंभुवे ऽन्तरे मन्वन्तरेषु सर्वेषु अतीतानागतेषु च

I shall declare to you the lords of the earth; I will tell of them in the Svāyambhuva manvantara, and in all the past and future manvantaras.

तुल्याभिमानिनश्चैव सर्वे तुल्यप्रयोजनाः स्वायंभुवस्य च मनोः पौत्रास्त्वासन्महाबलाः

All of them were equally proud and had the same purpose; the grandsons of Svāyambhuva Manu were mighty.

प्रियव्रतात्मजा वीरास् ते दशेह प्रकीर्तिताः आग्नीध्रश्चाग्निबाहुश् च मेधा मेधातिथिर्वसुः

The heroic sons of Priyavrata are named here: Āgnīdhra, Agnibāhu, Medha, Medhātithi, and Vasu.