Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 116

The Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu (Vishnu-Pañjara) and the Redemption of a Rakshasa

Devanagari script

स्तुतो हि सर्वपापानि नाशयिष्यत्यसंशयम् स्तुतो हि भक्त्या नॄणां वै सर्वपापहरो हरिः

Transliteration

stuto hi sarvapāpāni nāśayiṣyatyasaṃśayam stuto hi bhaktyā nṝṇāṃ vai sarvapāpaharo hariḥ

Translation

पुलस्त्य उवाच ततः प्रणम्य तं विप्रं प्रसाद्य स निशाचरः तदैव तपसे श्रीमान् शालग्राममगाद् वशी

Speakers

• Unspecified in provided excerpt; declarative doctrinal statement concluding the instruction

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Hari)

Key Themes

• Certainty of stuti’s efficacy (asaṃśaya)
• Hari as sarva-pāpa-hara
• Bhakti as the qualifying condition for purification
• Didactic closure / assurance

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Is the verse claiming automatic absolution merely by utterance?

The verse pairs stuti with bhakti (‘praised with devotion’), indicating that the intended efficacy is devotional praise—recitation joined to sincere orientation—rather than empty speech.

Why repeat ‘stuto hi’ twice?

The repetition functions as emphatic reinforcement: first asserting the result (destruction of sins), then grounding it in Hari’s essential nature as ‘sarva-pāpa-hara’ when approached through bhakti.

How should ‘sarva-pāpa’ be understood in Purāṇic ethics?

It typically denotes accumulated moral demerit (karmic impurity) that obstructs auspicious outcomes and spiritual progress; the verse presents Hari-bhakti expressed as stuti as a potent purifier within that ethical framework.