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

ହେ ମହର୍ଷି! ଭୂମିଲୋକରେ ମନୁଷ୍ୟ ଯେ ସମଗ୍ର ମହାସୁଖ ପାଏ—ଯାହା ଅନ୍ୟଥା କେବଳ ସୁରଲୋକରେ ଲଭ୍ୟ—ସେହି ସୁଖ ଏହି ସୌତ୍ରାମଣୀ ଆଖ୍ୟାନ ଶ୍ରବଣରୁ ପାଏ; ଏଥିରେ ମୋର କୌଣସି ସନ୍ଦେହ ନାହିଁ।

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.