I don't have litterature to suggest, but phala-śruti should just mean "(direct) statement of the result," following Mīmāṁsā practice where śruti, in use, means primarily "individual statement" within the Vedic corpus, and phala is the general term for the result that a ritual or meditation is supposed to bring; for instance, the attainment of non-return in the 8th of Chāndogya is often discussed and debated as such a statement of result.

Your corruption suggestion is interesting, as Mīmāṁsakas often--but not always--interpret such statements of results as arthavāda, explicitly glossed as stuti, praise with practical value, but without truth value. In practical terms, then, phala-śruti is phala-stuti, even without the need of corruption.

Best wishes,

Aleksandar

Aleksandar Uskokov

Senior Lector and Associate Research Scholar

South Asian Studies Council and Department of Religious Studies, Yale University

203-432-1972 | aleksandar.uskokov@yale.edu

"The Philosophy of the Brahma-sutra: An Introduction"

https://www.amzn.com/1350150002/

Office Hours Sign-up: https://calendly.com/aleksandar-uskokov

Dear colleagues,

I noticed that there is a Wikipedia entry for “phalashruti”, where it is claimed that “Phalaśruti is a Sanskrit compound word ... literally translating to, ‘fruits of listening’”.

Firstly, I would welcome any comments on this claim, which at first glance would seem to be better explanation for the word śravaṇaphala than for the word phalaśruti. Is phalaśruti perhaps rather a corruption of phalastuti?

Secondly, I would welcome suggestions for secondary literature discussing such verses. I think all I know of so far is an article by McComas Taylor in the “Journal of Hindu Studies”, and a section of James Hegarty’s monograph (both 2012).

Many thanks in advance ... Yours truly, Simon Brodbeck (Cardiff University).