Shloka 21
अव्यक्त-प्रबोधः (Awakening to the Unmanifest): The 25th and 26th Principles and Eligibility for Brahma-vidyā
कृषिश्च पाशुपाल्यं च वाणिज्यं च विशामपि । द्विजानां परिचर्या च शूद्रकर्म नराधिप,नरेश्वर! कृषि, पशुपालन और व्यापार--ये वैश्योंके कर्म हैं तथा द्विजातियोंकी सेवा शूद्रका धर्म है
kṛṣiś ca pāśupālyaṃ ca vāṇijyaṃ ca viśām api | dvijānāṃ paricaryā ca śūdrakarma narādhipa ||
Parāśara berkata: “Wahai raja, bertani, memelihara ternak, dan berdagang adalah kewajiban kaum Waiśya. Adapun melayani serta mengabdi kepada kaum dwija (yang dua kali lahir) adalah pekerjaan yang patut bagi Śūdra.”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse outlines varṇa-based duties: Vaiśyas are associated with cultivation, animal husbandry, and commerce, while the Śūdra’s prescribed role is service to the twice-born. It frames social ethics in terms of assigned responsibilities (svadharma) meant to sustain societal functioning.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, the sage Parāśara addresses a king and enumerates occupational duties for different social orders, presenting a normative rule of conduct and social organization.