Shloka 21
Tapovana-praveśaḥ — The King’s Entry into the Sacred Grove and Vision of the Āśrama
कारयन्त: कृषिं गोभिस्तथा वैश्या: क्षिताविह । युज्जते धुरि नो गाश्न कृशाज्रांशज्षाप्पजीवयन्,वैश्यगण बैलोंद्वारा इस पृथ्वीपर दूसरोंसे खेती कराते हुए भी स्वयं उनके कंधेपर जुआ नहीं रखते थे--उन्हें बोझ ढोनेमें नहीं लगाते थे और दुर्बल अंगोंवाले निकम्मे पशुओंको भी दाना-घास देकर उनके जीवनकी रक्षा करते थे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | kārayantaḥ kṛṣiṃ gobhis tathā vaiśyāḥ kṣitāv iha | yujjate dhuri no gāś ca kṛśāṅgān ajasāpi jīvayan |
Vaiśampāyana said: Even while having agriculture carried out on this earth with the help of oxen, the Vaiśyas did not yoke the cattle to the burden-bearing pole; they did not force them into carrying loads. Even animals with weak limbs—unfit for hard work—were sustained with fodder and grain, and their lives were protected. The passage highlights a social ethic of livelihood joined with restraint and compassion toward dependent beings.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an ethic of livelihood with compassion: even when using animals for agriculture, one should avoid overburdening them and should sustain the weak and unfit rather than exploiting them. It frames humane treatment of dependent beings as part of dharma.
Vaiśampāyana describes the conduct of the Vaiśya community: they engage in farming with cattle, yet they refrain from yoking them to heavy burdens and ensure even frail animals are fed and kept alive. The narration functions as a moral-social description within the Adi Parva context.