In Hinduism

Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)

Source: Shodhganga: Kasyapa Samhita—Text on Visha Chikitsa (p)

Saptapātāla (सप्तपाताल) refers to the “seven nether-worlds”, according to the Viṣvaksena Samhitā (verse 26.61) which mentions the efficacy of the Garuḍa-mantra by paying obeisance to him.—It mentions that Garuḍa also renowned as Suparṇa, the king of birds and the illustrious son of Vinatā, is adorned by the eight divine serpents residing in the seven nether-worlds (saptapātāla-vāsin); his body is smeared with the blood of serpents he has slain. Garuḍa is eulogised as the vehicle of Viṣṇu, who can make the three worlds tremble with his primal strength, and who conquered Brahmā and the other gods (and brought the nectar) to free his mother from bondage:

context information

Pancaratra (पाञ्चरात्र, pāñcarātra) represents a tradition of Hinduism where Narayana is revered and worshipped. Closeley related to Vaishnavism, the Pancaratra literature includes various Agamas and tantras incorporating many Vaishnava philosophies.

Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram

Saptapātāla (सप्तपाताल) refers to the “seven lower worlds”, according to the according to the Kularatnoddyota, one of the earliest Kubjikā Tantras.—Accordingly, while describing Vṛkṣanātha’s entry into the world: “[...] (Then Vṛkṣanātha) went to the sacred seat of Oḍḍiyāna, an abode on the surface of the earth. (He went to) Jālandhara, the mountains of Pūrṇa, the venerable Kāmākhya, called Supreme. (He went to) the city of the lord of the snakes in the root of the seven lower worlds (saptapātāla-mūla), to mount Śrīśaila, to Mahendra, the city of the king of the gods, Rāvaṇa’s abode, the venerable Kailāsa and to Trikūṭa and (then finally to) the excellent mount Malaya and (in all these places) he sported (freely) as he desired. [...]”.

context information

Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.

In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara Samadhi

Saptapātāla (सप्तपाताल) refers to the “seven underworlds”, according to the Cakrasaṃvara Samādhi [i.e., Cakrasamvara Meditation] ritual often performed in combination with the Cakrasaṃvara Samādhi, which refers to the primary pūjā and sādhanā practice of Newah Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna Buddhists in Nepal.—Accordingly, “Oṃ eat eat to the hanging garland of greasy bloody entrails, to Surābhakṣī Hūṃ Phaṭ Svāhā! Oṃ seize seize the snake or serpent come forth from the seven underworlds [e.g., saptapātāla] Hūṃ Phaṭ Svāhā”.

context information

Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.

General definition (in Buddhism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Dharma-samgraha

Saptapātāla (सप्तपाताल) or simply Pātāla refers to the “seven lower regions” as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha (section 123):

1. dharaṇitala (the plains of the earth),
2. acala (the mountain),
3. mahācala (the great mountain),
4. āpa (the water realm),
5. kāñcana (the golden realm),
6. sañjīva (the reviving hell),
7. naraka (hell).

The Dharma-samgraha (Dharmasangraha) is an extensive glossary of Buddhist technical terms in Sanskrit (e.g., sapta-pātāla). The work is attributed to Nagarjuna who lived around the 2nd century A.D.

Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

saptapātāla (सप्तपाताल).—n (S) pop. saptapātāḷēṃ n pl The seven hells or divisions of the infernal regions; viz. atala, vitala, sutala, mahātala, rasātala, talātala, pā- tāla. sapta pātāḷīṃ ghālaṇēṃ -paḍaṇēṃ -jāṇēṃ and similar phrases.

context information

Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Saptapātāla (सप्तपाताल).—the seven regions of the earth (i. e. atala, vitala, sutala, mahātala, rasātala, talātala and pātāla).

Derivable forms: saptapātālam (सप्तपातालम्).

Saptapātāla is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms saptan and pātāla (पाताल).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Saptapātāla (सप्तपाताल):—[=sapta-pātāla] [from sapta > saptan] n. the 7 Pātālas or regions under the earth (viz. atala, vit, sut, rasāt, talāt, mahāt and pātāla, [Religious Thought and Life in India 102]), [Rājataraṅgiṇī]

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Saptapātāla (ಸಪ್ತಪಾತಾಲ):—[noun] (used in pl. with -ಗಳು [galu]) (myth.) the seven nether worlds - Araḷa, Vitaḷa, Talātala, Rasātala, Mahātala and Pātāḷa.

context information

Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Patala, Sapta.

Starts with: Saptapatalavasin.

Full-text: Caudabhavanem, Mahatala, Bhuvana, Patala, Nitala, Saptaloka.

Relevant text

Search found 1 books and stories containing Saptapatala, Sapta-patala, Sapta-pātāla, Saptan-patala, Saptan-pātāla, Saptapātāla; (plurals include: Saptapatalas, patalas, pātālas, Saptapātālas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

The Linga Purana (by J. L. Shastri)

Chapter 65 - Thousand names of Śiva (Rudra-sahasranāma) < [Section 1 - Uttarabhāga]

show preview