18.44
कृषिगौरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं
वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम् ।
परिचर्यात्मकं कर्म
शूद्रस्यापि स्वभावजम् ॥
kṛṣigaurakṣyavāṇijyaṃ vaiśyakarma svabhāvajam
paricaryātmakaṃ karma śūdrasyāpi svabhāvajam
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
Ploughing, keeping cattle, and trade are the work of the vaiśya (वैश्य), born of his own nature; the work that consists of service is the work of the śūdra (शूद्र), also born of his own nature.
नेपालीमा
जोत्नु, गाईवस्तु पाल्नु र व्यापार वैश्यको कर्म हुन्, आफ्नै स्वभावबाट जन्मेका। सेवाको कर्म शूद्रको कर्म हो, त्यो पनि आफ्नै स्वभावबाट जन्मेको।
Where it sits
Brahmin, kṣatriya (क्षत्रिय), vaiśya (वैश्य), and śūdra (शूद्र) now each have a work born of their own nature, and the next verse says what staying in that work obtains.
Split: कृषि-गौ-रक्ष्य-वाणिज्यम् + वैश्य-कर्म + स्वभाव-जम् + परिचर्या-आत्मकम् + कर्म + शूद्रस्य + अपि + स्वभाव-जम्
kṛṣi-gau-rakṣya-vāṇijyam + vaiśya-karma + svabhāva-jam + paricaryā-ātmakam + karma + śūdrasya + api + svabhāva-jam
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| कृषि-गौ-रक्ष्य-वाणिज्यम् | kṛṣi-gau-rakṣya-vāṇijyam | nominative neuter | ploughing, protection of cattle, and trade. kṛṣi (कृषि) is cultivation. gau (गौ) is the cow. rakṣya (रक्ष्य) is what is to be protected. vāṇijya (वाणिज्य) is commerce. A dvandva (द्वन्द्व). |
| वैश्य-कर्म | vaiśya-karma | nominative neuter | the work of the vaiśya (वैश्य). |
| स्वभाव-जम् | svabhāva-jam | nominative neuter | born of one's own nature. |
| परिचर्या-आत्मकम् | paricaryā-ātmakam | nominative neuter | whose nature is service. paricaryā (परिचर्या) is attendance on another. ātmaka (आत्मक) is "made of, consisting of." |
| कर्म | karma | nominative of karman (कर्मन्) | work. |
| शूद्रस्य | śūdrasya | genitive | of the śūdra (शूद्र). |
| अपि | api | indeclinable | also. |
| स्वभाव-जम् | svabhāva-jam | nominative neuter | born of one's own nature. The same predicate as the line above. |
The phrases
kṛṣigaurakṣyavāṇijyaṃ vaiśyakarma svabhāvajam (कृषिगौरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम्) is the third share, in one stroke. Three livelihoods, one name: the work of the vaiśya (वैश्य), born of his own nature.
paricaryātmakaṃ karma śūdrasyāpi svabhāvajam (परिचर्यात्मकं कर्म शूद्रस्यापि स्वभावजम्) is the fourth. The work of the śūdra (शूद्र) is service, and api (अपि) puts him in the same frame as the other three. His work too is svabhāva-jam (स्वभाव-जम्).
The genitive śūdrasya (शूद्रस्य) does the job the compounds vaiśya-karma (वैश्य-कर्म) and kṣātram (क्षात्रम्) did above. "Of the śūdra (शूद्र)."
Sanskrit in this line
आ + आ ā + ā inside the compound becomes ā (आ). परिचर्या + आत्मकम् paricaryā + ātmakam is recited paricaryātmakam (परिचर्यात्मकम्). The second ā (आ) is the start of ātmaka (आत्मक), "consisting of." Read the split when the long ā (आ) hides the seam. The same ā (आ) from अ + अ a + a joins शूद्रस्य + अपि śūdrasya + api into śūdrasyāpi (शूद्रस्यापि).
Say it back
Cover the English. Say the three of the vaiśya (वैश्य) and the one of the śūdra (शूद्र). If service is given to the vaiśya (वैश्य) and trade to the śūdra (शूद्र), stay here.