Vamana Purana — Merit of the Vamana Purana, Shloka 15

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

Devanagari script

वाचकाय प्रदातव्य गोभूस्वर्णविभूषणम् वित्तशाठ्यं न कर्तव्यं कुर्वन् श्रवणनाशकम्

Transliteration

vācakāya pradātavya gobhūsvarṇavibhūṣaṇam vittaśāṭhyaṃ na kartavyaṃ kurvan śravaṇanāśakam

Translation

வாசகனுக்கு பசு, நிலம், பொன், ஆபரணங்கள் முதலிய தானங்களை அளிக்க வேண்டும். செல்வத்தில் வஞ்சகம் செய்யக் கூடாது; செய்தால் கேள்வியின் புண்ணியம் அழியும்.

Speakers

• Unspecified in the provided excerpt (within Adhyaya 69’s didactic discourse)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Dana (Charity)
• Ethics of patronage to reciters (vācaka-dakṣiṇā)
• Integrity in religious acts
• Śravaṇa (hearing sacred texts) and its protection
• Merit (puṇya) and its nullification by adharma

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is the “vācaka,” and why is giving to him emphasized?

The vācaka is the authorized reciter/expositor who publicly reads and explains Purāṇic or dharma narratives. In Purāṇic ritual culture, the act of śravaṇa (listening) is completed by dakṣiṇā—supporting the transmitter of the teaching—so the knowledge-lineage and the rite’s integrity are maintained.

What does “vittaśāṭhya” mean here—simple poverty or intentional deceit?

Śāṭhya denotes deliberate trickery or fraudulent conduct regarding wealth (e.g., promising gifts and withholding them, giving counterfeit/defective gifts, or manipulating accounts). The verse targets intentional adharma, not inability due to genuine lack of means.

How can deceit ‘destroy’ the merit of listening?

Purāṇic dharma frames merit as dependent on inner disposition (bhāva) and ethical congruence. If the listener’s act is paired with hypocrisy or fraud, the śravaṇa becomes ethically compromised, and its promised fruit is said to be nullified (nāśaka).