Vamana Purana — Merit of the Vamana Purana, Shloka 8

The Merit of Hearing and Reciting the Vamana Purana (Phalaśruti)

Devanagari script

यद् भूमिलोके सुरलोकलभ्ये महत्सुखं प्राप्य नरः समग्रम् प्रापनोति चास्य श्रवणान्महर्षे सौत्रामणेर्नास्ति च संशयो मे

Transliteration

yad bhūmiloke suralokalabhye mahatsukhaṃ prāpya naraḥ samagram prāpanoti cāsya śravaṇānmaharṣe sautrāmaṇernāsti ca saṃśayo me

Translation

ഹേ മഹർഷേ! ഭൂമിലോകത്തിൽ മനുഷ്യൻ പ്രാപിക്കുന്ന സമഗ്രമായ മഹാസുഖം—അത് മറ്റെന്തുവഴിയിലും ദേവലോകത്തിൽ മാത്രമേ ലഭ്യമാകൂ—അത് ഈ സൗത്രാമണീ ആഖ്യാനം ശ്രവിക്കുന്നതിലൂടെ തന്നെ ലഭിക്കുന്നു; ഇതിൽ എനിക്ക് സംശയമില്ല।

Speakers

• Narrator-sage (contextually within the Pulastya–Nārada dialogue frame common to Vāmana Purāṇa) addressing a ‘maharṣi’ (the interlocutor-sage).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Indra

Key Themes

• Phalaśruti (benefit of hearing)
• Soteriological efficacy of śravaṇa
• Heavenly merit accessible in human life
• Ritual-memory of Saṃtrāmaṇī

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is being promised here—literal access to heaven, or a comparable merit?

The verse uses a standard Purāṇic equivalence: the ‘great happiness’ normally attainable in suraloka is said to be gained in bhūmiloka through śravaṇa. This indicates comparable puṇya and auspicious fruition (prosperity, protection, and post-mortem merit), not necessarily immediate physical relocation to heaven.

What does ‘Sautrāmaṇī’ signify in a Purāṇic chapter?

Sautrāmaṇī is a well-known Vedic rite-name associated with Indra (Sutrāman). In Purāṇic usage it can function as (a) a ritual reference conferring Vedic prestige, and/or (b) a label for a sanctified observance or narrative segment whose hearing/recitation is declared highly meritorious.

Why is ‘hearing’ (śravaṇa) emphasized rather than pilgrimage or donation?

In tīrtha-mahātmya literature, śravaṇa is treated as a portable, universally accessible practice. It allows those unable to travel or give lavish gifts to still obtain tīrtha-like merit through attentive reception of the sacred account.