Shloka 17
कालयुक्तधर्मविवेकः
Discerning Dharma in Accord with Time
वृत्त्यर्थ धर्महेतोर्वा सेवितव्य: सदा नरै: ।। स्वर्गवासमभीप्सद्/िर्न सेव्यस्त्वत उत्तर:
vṛttyarthaṃ dharmahetor vā sevitavyaḥ sadā naraiḥ | svargavāsam abhīpsadbhir na sevyas tv ata uttaraḥ ||
Śrī Maheśvara dit : « Les hommes doivent toujours se vouer au service, soit pour gagner leur vie, soit pour le dharma. Mais ceux qui désirent demeurer au ciel ne doivent pas entreprendre le service dit “supérieur” (c’est-à-dire moralement inférieur ou faisant obstacle à l’essor spirituel). »
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Service or employment may be pursued for livelihood or for dharma, but one must discriminate: those aiming at heavenly merit should avoid forms of service that compromise dharma or impede spiritual/ethical goals.
Maheśvara is giving a normative instruction about proper conduct—specifically, how and why one should undertake service—framing it in terms of dharma and the aspiration for Svarga.