Shloka 97

Devanagari script

अष्टादशपुराणानां श्रवणाद्‌ यत्‌ फलं भवेत्‌ | तत्‌ फलं समवाप्रोति वैष्णवो नात्र संशय:

Transliteration

aṣṭādaśa-purāṇānāṃ śravaṇād yat phalaṃ bhavet | tat phalaṃ samavāpnoti vaiṣṇavo nātra saṃśayaḥ ||

Translation

പതിനെട്ടു പുരാണങ്ങൾ ശ്രവണം ചെയ്താൽ ലഭിക്കുന്ന ഫലം ഏതായാലും, അതേ ഫലം വൈഷ്ണവൻ മഹാഭാരതം മാത്രം ശ്രവണം ചെയ്താലും പൂർണ്ണമായി പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു—ഇതിൽ സംശയമില്ല.

Word by Word

• अष्टादश: eighteen
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टादश
• Form: neuter, genitive, plural

• पुराणानाम्: of the Purāṇas
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण
• Form: neuter, genitive, plural

• श्रवणात्: from hearing / by hearing
• श्रवणात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रवण
• Form: neuter, ablative, singular

• यत्: which
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• फलम्: fruit, result
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• भवेत्: would be / may arise
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: optative (vidhiliṅ), 3rd, singular, parasmaipada

• तत्: that
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• समवाप्नोति: attains, obtains fully
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-अव-आप्
• Form: present (laṭ), 3rd, singular, parasmaipada

• वैष्णवः: a Vaiṣṇava (devotee of Viṣṇu)
• वैष्णवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैष्णव
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अत्र: here, in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र

• संशयः: doubt
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Viṣṇu
• Mahābhārata
• Aṣṭādaśa Purāṇas (the eighteen Purāṇas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sacred listening (śravaṇa) to the Mahābhārata is presented as supremely meritorious: for a Vaiṣṇava, hearing the Mahābhārata alone is said to confer the same spiritual fruit as hearing all eighteen Purāṇas, emphasizing devotion and attentive reception of dharma-teachings.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a laudatory statement is made about the Mahābhārata’s religious efficacy, asserting its comprehensive value and the assured merit gained by a devotee of Viṣṇu through hearing it.