Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 55
सत्यानृतं च वाणिज्यं तेन चैवोपजीव्यते । सेवा श्ववृत्तिराख्याता तस्मात्तां परिवर्जयेत
satyānṛtaṃ ca vāṇijyaṃ tena caivopajīvyate | sevā śvavṛttirākhyātā tasmāttāṃ parivarjayeta
বাণিজ্যকে ‘সত্যানৃত’ বলা হয় এবং তা দ্বারা জীবিকা চলতে পারে; কিন্তু চাকরি/পরাধীন সেবা ‘শ্ববৃত্তি’ নামে খ্যাত, তাই তা পরিত্যাজ্য।
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A bustling coastal market near a temple town: merchants weighing goods; a dharma-teacher points to honest scales while a figure in servile posture is contrasted with an upright trader; the word ‘śvavṛtti’ is symbolized by a dog near a chained servant.
FAQs
Dharma values independence and purity of conduct; servile dependence is condemned as degrading.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the contextual sacred landscape where such dharma-instructions are emphasized.
A social-dharma prescription: avoid sevā/śvavṛtti; trade may be used for livelihood when appropriate.