Shloka 26
शरद्वर्णनं, योगोपमा, तथा गोवर्धन-यज्ञप्रवर्तनम्
न वयं कृषिकर्तारो वाणिज्याजीविनो न च गावो ऽस्मद्दैवतं तात वयं वनचरा यतः
na vayaṃ kṛṣikartāro vāṇijyājīvino na ca gāvo 'smaddaivataṃ tāta vayaṃ vanacarā yataḥ
Kami bukan penggarap ladang, dan bukan pula hidup dari perdagangan. Wahai ayah, sapi pun bukan dewa pilihan kami—sebab cara hidup kami adalah sebagai penghuni hutan.
Forest-dwelling people (vanacaras) speaking within the narrative recounted by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya
FAQs
This verse frames vanacaras as a distinct way-of-life community whose duties and values differ from agrarian, mercantile, or pastoral groups, showing dharma as context-sensitive rather than uniform.
Through embedded dialogue, the Purana presents self-definition by occupation and habitat—agriculture, trade, cow-based pastoral life, and forest living—illustrating how svadharma is narrated through lived practice.
Even when Vishnu is not named, the verse supports a Vaishnava Purāṇic worldview where societal order and truthful self-positioning within dharma are ultimately upheld under Vishnu’s sovereign cosmic governance.