Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21
शूद्रस्य द्विजशुश्रूषा तया जीवन्वणिग्भवेत् । शिल्पैर्वा विविधैर्जीवेद्द्विजातिहितमाचरन्
śūdrasya dvijaśuśrūṣā tayā jīvanvaṇigbhavet | śilpairvā vividhairjīveddvijātihitamācaran
Pour un śūdra, le service rendu aux dvijas (les « deux fois nés ») est le moyen de subsistance approprié ; par là, il peut même prospérer comme marchand. Ou bien il peut vivre de divers métiers, agissant toujours pour le bien des dvijas.
Unspecified (narrative instruction within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa; likely within Sūta’s recitation context)
Listener: vatsa (disciple/son-figure; unspecified in the given excerpt)
Scene: A craftsman and a temple-servant: one repairing a shrine lamp/doorway, another offering water to a scholar-priest; the emphasis is dignified labor and service as sacred support.
FAQs
Livelihood should be aligned with dharma—service, honest craft, and conduct aimed at social and religious welfare.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it gives general dharma guidance within the chapter’s narrative.
No specific rite is prescribed here; the instruction concerns ethical livelihood and supportive conduct.