Shloka 28

शरद्वर्णनं, योगोपमा, तथा गोवर्धन-यज्ञप्रवर्तनम्

Devanagari script

कृषिर् वणिज्या तद्वच् च तृतीयं पशुपालनम् विद्या ह्य् एका महाभाग वार्ता वृत्तित्रयाश्रया

Transliteration

kṛṣir vaṇijyā tadvac ca tṛtīyaṃ paśupālanam vidyā hy ekā mahābhāga vārtā vṛttitrayāśrayā

Translation

Agriculture, trade, and thirdly the tending of cattle—these three are the livelihoods called vārtā. Yet, O noble one, it is a single discipline, for vārtā-knowledge rests upon these three modes of subsistence.

Word by Word

• कृषिः: agriculture
• कृषिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वणिज्या: trade
• वणिज्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वणिज्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तद्वत्: likewise
• तद्वत्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद्वत् (अव्यय/तद्धित)
• Form: अव्यय; तुल्यवाचक (comparative particle): 'likewise/in the same way'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• तृतीयम्: the third
• तृतीयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal adjective)

• पशुपालनम्: animal husbandry
• पशुपालनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु + पालन (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: पशूनां पालनम्

• विद्या: knowledge; science
• विद्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) कारण/निश्चयार्थ (for indeed)

• एका: one
• एका: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); संख्यावाचक-विशेषण (numeral adjective)

• महाभाग: O fortunate one
• महाभाग: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय: महान् भागः यस्य (honorific address)

• वार्ता: vārttā (livelihood science)
• वार्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वृत्तित्रयाश्रया: based on three modes of livelihood
• वृत्तित्रयाश्रया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत्ति + त्रय + आश्रय (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: वृत्तित्रयस्य आश्रया (dependent on three livelihoods)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa instructs on vārttā—ethical livelihood—so society may be materially sustained while remaining aligned with dharma.

Leela: Dharma-upadesa

Dharma Restored: Economic stability through dharmic livelihoods (kṛṣi, vaṇijyā, paśupālana).

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Vārttā, the science of livelihood, is one discipline grounded in three supports: agriculture, trade, and cattle-rearing.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Choose a livelihood that is productive and non-exploitative, and see economic activity as part of dharmic responsibility to family and community.

Vishishtadvaita: Śrī (prosperity) is harmonized with dharma; material sustenance is not opposed to spiritual life when dedicated to Bhagavān’s order.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

FAQs

What is the significance of vārttā in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse defines vārttā as the economic discipline that sustains society through three practical livelihoods—farming, commerce, and livestock-rearing—showing how material support is integrated into dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the ‘three livelihoods’ (vṛtti-traya)?

He lists them explicitly—kṛṣi (cultivation), vaṇijyā (trade), and paśupālana (cattle-rearing)—and then states they are collectively one vidyā, a unified science of livelihood.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Though Vishnu is not named here, the teaching frames worldly occupations as part of a divinely ordered dharmic system—an expression of cosmic sovereignty where society’s material maintenance supports spiritual and moral order.