Shloka 25
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 28: Dharmādharmalakṣaṇa in Āpad
Crisis-Discernment of Right and Wrong
वैश्यो5धीत्य कृषिगोरक्षपण्यै- वित्त चिन्चन् पालयन्नप्रमत्त:
vaiśyo ’dhītya kṛṣigorakṣapaṇyaiḥ vittam cincan pālayann apramattaḥ
Vāyu sprach: „Ein Vaiśya soll, nachdem er seine Pflichten recht gelernt hat, Reichtum durch Ackerbau, Schutz des Viehs und Handel erwerben und ihn mit steter Wachsamkeit hüten und verwalten, ohne je nachlässig zu werden.“
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches Vaiśya-dharma: wealth should be earned through socially sustaining means—agriculture, cattle-protection, and trade—and then safeguarded and administered responsibly with vigilance (apramāda), not through negligence or harmful pursuits.
Vāyudeva is instructing on proper conduct and livelihood according to varṇa-based duties, specifying the approved economic activities for a Vaiśya and emphasizing careful stewardship of wealth.