Shloka 54
Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
(तथैव देवि वैश्याश्व॒ लोकयात्राहिता: स्मृता: । अन्ये तानुपजीवन्ति प्रत्यक्षफलदा हि ते ।।
tathaiva devi vaiśyāś ca lokayātrāhitāḥ smṛtāḥ | anye tān upajīvanti pratyakṣaphaladā hi te || yadi na syus tathā vaiśyā na bhaveyus tathā pare || vaiśyasya satataṁ dharmaḥ pāśupālyaṁ kṛṣis tathā | agnihotraparisphando dānādhyayanam eva ca | atithisatkāraḥ śamo damo brāhmaṇānāṁ svāgataṁ tyāgaś ca ||
大自在天说道：“女神啊，同样地，吠舍（Vaiśya）被记为维系世间生计之行旅者。其余诸姓依赖他们而活，因为他们带来可见、立得之果。若无吠舍，其余诸姓亦难存续。吠舍恒常之法是牧养牲畜、从事农耕（并以贸易为生）、常行阿耆尼火供（Agnihotra）、施与布施与研习经典；并依正道而行善德——敬待宾客，内心宁静与自制守律，尊崇迎接婆罗门，以及以舍离成就的慷慨。”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames the Vaiśya’s dharma as socially indispensable: by producing tangible goods and services (agriculture, cattle-rearing, trade), they sustain the livelihood of all, and their ethical ideal includes ritual responsibility (Agnihotra), learning, charity, hospitality, self-control, and honoring Brahmins.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction setting, Mahēśvara addresses Devī and explains the role and duties of the Vaiśya order, emphasizing that the other orders depend on them for practical sustenance and that their prescribed conduct combines economic work with religious and moral disciplines.