Shloka 17
Varṇāśrama-Dharma and the Thirty Qualities of a Human Being
जघन्यो नोत्तमां वृत्तिमनापदि भजेन्नर: । ऋते राजन्यमापत्सु सर्वेषामपि सर्वश: ॥ १७ ॥
jaghanyo nottamāṁ vṛttim anāpadi bhajen naraḥ ṛte rājanyam āpatsu sarveṣām api sarvaśaḥ
ಅಪತ್ತು ಇಲ್ಲದಾಗ ಕೀಳಿನವನು ಮೇಲಿನವರ ವೃತ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಬಾರದು. ಆದರೆ ಅಪತ್ತಿನ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯನನ್ನು ಹೊರತುಪಡಿಸಿ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಇತರರ ಜೀವನೋಪಾಯವನ್ನೂ ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಬಹುದು॥೧೭॥
The occupational duty of a brāhmaṇa should not be accepted by persons in lower social orders, especially vaiśyas and śūdras. For example, an occupational duty of the brāhmaṇa is to teach Vedic knowledge, but unless there is an emergency, this professional duty should not be accepted by the kṣatriyas, vaiśyas or śūdras. Even a kṣatriya cannot accept the duties of a brāhmaṇa unless there is an emergency, and then even if he does so he should not accept charity from anyone else. Sometimes brāhmaṇas protest against our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement for creating brāhmaṇas from Europeans, or, in other words, from mlecchas and yavanas. This movement, however, is here supported in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. At the present moment, society is in a chaotic condition, and everyone has given up the cultivation of spiritual life, which is especially meant for the brāhmaṇas. Because spiritual culture has been stopped all over the world, there is now an emergency, and therefore it is now time to train those who are considered lower and condemned, so that they may become brāhmaṇas and take up the work of spiritual progress. The spiritual progress of human society has been stopped, and this should be considered an emergency. Here is solid support from Nārada Muni of the movement known as Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
FAQs
This verse teaches that normally one should not take up either degraded work or an unnaturally elevated role, but during calamity the usual restrictions may be relaxed as needed.
Prahlāda is instructing on varṇāśrama-dharma—how society can be organized ethically and spiritually—so he explains proper livelihood and the emergency exceptions to those rules.
Maintain honest, appropriate work in normal times, but if genuine hardship arises, take necessary temporary measures without abandoning core integrity and spiritual principles.