Shloka 23
Gṛhastha-vṛtti and Niyama: Models of Householder Livelihood and Discipline (गृहस्थवृत्ति-नियमाः)
अददातेषु संजातस्त्रिसंदेहस्त्रिकर्मकृत् । तस्मादुन्मज्जने तिषछेत् प्रज्ञया निस्तरेद् यथा
adadāteṣu saṃjātas tri-saṃdehas tri-karmakṛt | tasmād unmaj-jane tiṣṭhet prajñayā nistared yathā ||
Dijo Vyāsa: Cuando un brahmán nace en un linaje noble, debe mirar con triple cautela los tres actos ligados al sustento—enseñar, oficiar sacrificios y aceptar dones—para que no surja el apego. Sin embargo, ha de cumplir fielmente los tres deberes—estudio, sacrificio y dádiva. De cualquier modo que le sea posible, debe esforzarse por su liberación mediante el discernimiento, para cruzar la peligrosa corriente de la vida mundana.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A Brahmin should perform the traditional duties of study, sacrifice, and charity, but treat teaching-for-gain, priestly service, and accepting gifts with vigilant caution, using discernment to avoid attachment and to pursue liberation.
Vyāsa is instructing on right conduct in the Śānti Parva’s ethical discourse, outlining how a Brahmin should balance obligatory duties with careful restraint regarding livelihood and remuneration, aiming to ‘cross over’ worldly danger through wisdom.