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 ||
தானம், யாகம், இருமுறைப் பிறந்தோரின் சேவை—இம்மூன்றையும் நான் விளக்கியேன்; சூத்ரனின் தர்மமும் இவ்வாறே கூறப்பட்டது, அவன் வாழ்வாதாரம் கைவினை மற்றும் உடல் உழைப்பால் அமையும்.
{ "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.