Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 16
Varṇāśrama-Dharma and the Thirty Qualities of a Human Being
वार्ता विचित्रा शालीनयायावरशिलोञ्छनम् । विप्रवृत्तिश्चतुर्धेयं श्रेयसी चोत्तरोत्तरा ॥ १६ ॥
vārtā vicitrā śālīna- yāyāvara-śiloñchanam vipra-vṛttiś caturdheyaṁ śreyasī cottarottarā
La vārttā a des formes variées—śālīna, yāyāvara et śiloñchana—décrivant ainsi quatre moyens de subsistance pour le brāhmaṇa. Parmi ces quatre, chacun, dans l’ordre, est plus excellent que le précédent॥16॥
A brāhmaṇa is sometimes offered land and cows in charity, and thus for his livelihood he may act in the same way as a vaiśya, by cultivating land, giving protection to cows and trading off his surpluses. A better process, however, is to pick up grains from a field or from a dealer’s shop without begging.
FAQs
This verse states that a brāhmaṇa’s livelihood is described in multiple ways and is considered fourfold; among these, progressively simpler and more renounced methods are regarded as increasingly superior.
In Canto 7, Chapter 11, Śukadeva instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on varṇāśrama-dharma—how each social and spiritual order should live—so that society is guided by purity, self-control, and devotion.
One can adopt its spirit by minimizing wants, avoiding exploitative earning, living simply, and prioritizing sādhana and service—choosing contentment and integrity over luxury and excess.