Adhyaya 28 — Alarka Inquires into Varna and Ashrama Dharma; Madalasa Defines the Fourfold Duties
दानं यज्ञोऽथ शुश्रूषा द्विजातीनां त्रिधा मया ।
व्याख्यातः शूद्रधर्मोऽपि जीविका कारुकर्म च ॥
dānaṃ yajño 'tha śuśrūṣā dvijātīnāṃ tridhā mayā | vyākhyātaḥ śūdradharmo 'pi jīvikā kārukarma ca ||
દાન, યજ્ઞ અને દ્વિજસેવા—આ ત્રણ મેં સમજાવ્યાં; શૂદ્રનો ધર્મ પણ એવો જ કહેવાયો છે, અને તેની જીવનવૃત્તિ શિલ્પકામ તથા શ્રમકામથી થાય છે.
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "dharma", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
The verse frames dignity of work through dharma: service and skilled labor are treated as legitimate life-paths when done with right intention and social responsibility, alongside the universal virtues of giving and participation in sacred order.
Ācāra/Dharma instruction (ancillary to the five lakṣaṇas), functioning as a prescriptive ethical layer within the Purāṇa.
‘Service’ signifies the purification of ego through duty; craftsmanship (kāru) symbolizes shaping the outer world while inwardly cultivating discipline and humility.