(A full account of Bali will be âgavataPurâgiven below.)
_Talâtala_: -- Below Sutala is Talâtala. Mâyâ, the Dânava king, rules there. His "Three Puras" (abodes) were destroyed by Siva who is hence called Tripurari. But Siva favoured him again and placed him in Talâtala. He is the preceptor of all Mâyâvins. He is preserved by Siva and he has no fear from Sudarsana (the chakra weapon of Vishnu, which symbolises Time.)
(Bali and Mâyâ, Trilokî and Tripura, the seizure of one and the destruction of the other, the restoration of Bali to Sutala and of Mâyâ to Talâtala, the favour shown to them in those regions, the correspondences of Sutala and Talâtala are worth careful consideration. In the case of one, Vishnu or the Preservative aspect of the Second Purusha is the actor, and in the other, Siva, the Destructive aspect.)
_Mahâtala_: -- Below Talâtala is Mahâtala. Many headed serpents, the progeny of Kadru, dwell there. The chief amongst them are Kuhaka, Takshaka, Kâliya, Sushena, and others. They are always afraid of Garuda, the Vehicle of Vishnu, and they are therefore seldom seen to indulge in pleasure-trips outside.
_Rasâtala_: -- Below Mahatala is Rasâtala; Daityas, Dânavas and Panis, named Nivatakavachas, Kâlakeyas and Hiranyapuravâsins dwell there. They are the enemies of the Devas. They are powerful from their very birth. They are subdued by the Sudarsana of Vishnu. They are like serpents. They fear even the threats of Saramâ, the bitch of the gods who is Indra's messenger to them. They fear Indra also.
_Pâtala_: -- Below Rasâtala is Pâtala. The Nâgas dwell there. Vasûki is their chief. The other principal Nâgas are -- Sankha, Kulika, Mahâ Sankha, Sveta, Dhananjaya, Asvatara, and Devadatta. Their hood is very large and they are very furious. Some of them are five headed, some 7 headed, some 10 headed, some a thousand headed. The precious stones on their hoods dispel all darkness in Pâtala.
At the root of Pâtala, thirty thousand Yojanas beyond, is the Tamas aspect of Bhagavân called Ananta. Those that worship the Chaturvyûha aspect call him Sankarshana. He has a thousand heads. The earth held up on one of these heads looks but like a mustard seed. When the time for dissolution comes, Ananta assumes His Tamas form and becomes Rudra -- other wise called Sankarshana, a host of eleven, with three eyes, three tufts of hair and with tridents on their heads. At other times, Ananta withdraws His Tamas and abides for the good of all Lokas. His eyes roll as it were by intoxication. His garments are blue. He has one ear-ring. He has a plough on his back.