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

L’agriculture, le commerce et, troisièmement, l’élevage du bétail : ces trois voies de subsistance sont appelées vārtā. Pourtant, ô noble, c’est une seule discipline, car la connaissance de la vārtā repose sur ces trois modes de vie.

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.