18.44 Trade, and service Krishna speaks
कृषिगौरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम्
परिचर्यात्मकं कर्म शूद्रस्यापि स्वभावजम्
kṛiṣhi-gau-rakṣhya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśhya-karma svabhāva-jam
paricharyātmakaṁ karma śhūdrasyāpi svabhāva-jam
Farming, tending cattle and trade are the work born of the nature of the merchant; and service is the work born of the nature of the worker.
Explanation
Trade, and service.
Farming, cattle, trade; and paricaryā — service — for the fourth.
The shortest entries, and the asymmetry is not defended. What the next three verses do with the scheme matters more than the scheme: they make every one of the four a full road to perfection.
Word by word
- kṛiṣhi
- agriculture
- gau-rakṣhya
- dairy farming
- vāṇijyam
- commerce
- vaiśhya
- of the mercantile and farming class
- karma
- work
- svabhāva-jam
- born of one’s intrinsic qualities
- paricharyā
- serving through work
- ātmakam
- natural
- karma
- duty
- śhūdrasya
- of the worker class
- api
- and
- svabhāva-jam
- born of one’s intrinsic qualities
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