Vamana Purana — Merit of the Vamana Purana, Shloka 9

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

Devanagari script

रत्नस्य दानस्य च यत्फलं भवेद् यत्सूर्यस्य चेन्दोर्ग्रहणे च राहोः अन्नस्य दानेन फलं यथोक्तं बुभुक्षिते विप्रवरे च साग्निके

Transliteration

ratnasya dānasya ca yatphalaṃ bhaved yatsūryasya cendorgrahaṇe ca rāhoḥ annasya dānena phalaṃ yathoktaṃ bubhukṣite vipravare ca sāgnike

Translation

جواہرات کے دان کا جو پھل ہوتا ہے، اور جس وقت راہو سورج اور چاند کو گرفت میں لیتا ہے (یعنی گرہن کے وقت) جو ثواب ہوتا ہے، وہی پھل—جیسا کہا گیا ہے—بھُوکے، آگنیہوتر رکھنے والے افضل برہمن کو اناج/کھانا دان کرنے سے حاصل ہوتا ہے۔

Speakers

• Same narrative voice continuing the phalaśruti instruction within the Adhyāya 69 discourse.

Primary Deities

• Surya
• Chandra
• Rahu
• Agni

Key Themes

• Anna-dāna (feeding) as supreme charity
• Eclipse (grahaṇa) merit comparison
• Brāhmaṇa/Agni-centered ritual economy
• Dharma of supporting the needy

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why compare food-giving to jewel-giving?

Purāṇic dharma frequently ranks gifts by immediate life-sustaining impact. Jewels symbolize wealth, but food directly preserves prāṇa; hence anna-dāna is praised as yielding equal or greater puṇya, especially when the recipient is genuinely hungry.

What is the significance of mentioning eclipses (Rāhu’s ‘seizure’)?

Eclipses are liminal times in Purāṇic cosmology when ritual acts are believed to multiply in potency. By equating anna-dāna with eclipse-merit, the text elevates everyday compassion to the level of rare, astrologically charged occasions.

Why specify ‘vipravare ca sāgnike’ (an eminent brāhmaṇa maintaining fire)?

The phrase ties charity to the Vedic sacrificial order: a sāgnika represents continuity of śrauta/smārta practice. The verse thus frames feeding as both humanitarian and as sustaining dharma through support of ritual custodians.