Devanagari
विप्रस्याध्ययनादीनि षडन्यस्याप्रतिग्रह: ।
राज्ञो वृत्ति: प्रजागोप्तुरविप्राद्वा करादिभि: ॥ १४ ॥
Verse text
viprasyādhyayanādīni
ṣaḍ-anyasyāpratigrahaḥ
rājṣo vṛttiḥ prajā-goptur
aviprād vā karādibhiḥ
Synonyms
viprasya
—
of the brāhmaṇa
;
adhyayana
—
ādīni — reading the Vedas, etc
;
ṣaṭ
—
six (to study the Vedas, to teach the Vedas, to worship the Deity, to teach others how to worship, to accept charity and to give charity)
;
anyasya
—
of those other than the brāhmaṇas (the kṣatriyas )
;
apratigrahaḥ
—
without accepting charity from others (the kṣatriyas may execute the five other occupational duties prescribed for the brāhmaṇas )
;
rājṣaḥ
—
of the kṣatriya
;
vṛttiḥ
—
the means of livelihood
;
prajā
—
goptuḥ — who maintain the subjects
;
aviprāt
—
from those who are not brāhmaṇas
;
vā
—
or
;
kara
—
ādibhiḥ — by levying revenue taxes, customs duties, fines for punishment, etc .
Translation
For a brāhmaṇa there are six occupational duties. A kṣatriya should not accept charity, but he may perform the other five of these duties. A king or kṣatriya is not allowed to levy taxes on brāhmaṇas, but he may make his livelihood by levying minimal taxes, customs duties, and penalty fines upon his other subjects.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
For a brāhmaṇa there are six occupational duties. A kṣatriya should not accept charity, but he may perform the other five of these duties. A king or kṣatriya is not allowed to levy taxes on brāhmaṇas, but he may make his livelihood by money from his other subjects.
Now Nārada describes the occupations of the four varṇas in seven and a half verses. For the brāhmaṇa, six activities are prescribed (vihitāni, the verb, is in the previous verse). Three items of livelihood are: study of the Vedas, worship and accepting charity. [Note: The other three duties are studying scripture, giving charity and worshipping the Lord personally, not for others. ] Manu says:
saṇṇān tu karmaṇām asya trīṇi karmāṇi jīvikā
yajanādhyāpane caiva viśuddhāc ca pratigrahaḥ
Among the six activities, three are livelihood: worship, teaching of the Vedas and accepting charity from a pure person.
The kṣatriya (anyasya) cannot accept charity. As emergency the kṣatriya can use teaching Vedas and performing worship for others as a livelihood. Accepting charity is forbidden for the kṣatriya even in emergency situations. Respectful offerings given by the person he protects are the livelihood of the kṣatriya. Or he can levy taxes, fines or custom duty for a livelihood.
Purport
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains the position of
brāhmaṇas
and
kṣatriyas
as follows.
Brāhmaṇas
have six occupational duties, of which three are compulsory — namely, studying the
Vedas,
worshiping the Deity and giving charity. By teaching, by inducing others to worship the Deity, and by accepting gifts, the
brāhmaṇas
receive the necessities of life. This is also confirmed in the
Manu-saṁhitā:
ṣaṇṇāṁ tu karmaṇām asya
trīṇi karmāṇi jīvikā
yajanādhyāpane caiva
viśuddhāc ca pratigrahaḥ
Of the six occupational duties of the
brāhmaṇas,
three are compulsory — namely, worship of the Deity, study of the
Vedas
and the giving of charity. In exchange, a
brāhmaṇa
should receive charity, and this should be his means of livelihood. A
brāhmaṇa
cannot take up any professional occupational duty for his livelihood. The
śāstras
especially stress that if one claims to be a
brāhmaṇa,
he cannot engage in the service of anyone else; otherwise he at once falls from his position and becomes a
śūdra.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī belonged to a very respectful family, but because they engaged in the service of Nawab Hussain Shah — not even as ordinary clerks, but as ministers — they were ostracized from brahminical society. Indeed, they became like Mohammedans and even changed their names. Unless a
brāhmaṇa
is very pure, he cannot accept charity from others. Charity should be given to those who are pure. Even if one is born in a family of
brāhmaṇas,
if one acts as a
śūdra
one cannot accept charity, for this is strictly prohibited. Although the
kṣatriyas
are almost as qualified as the
brāhmaṇas,
even they cannot accept charity. This is strictly prohibited in this verse by the word
apratigraha.
What to speak of the lower social orders, even the
kṣatriyas
must not accept charity. The king or government may levy taxes upon the citizens in various ways — by revenue duties, customs duties, realization of fines, and so on — provided the king is able to give full protection to his subjects to assure the security of their life and property. Unless he is able to give protection, he cannot levy taxes. However, a king must not levy any tax upon the
brāhmaṇas
and the Vaiṣṇavas fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.