Devanagari
वैश्यस्तु वार्तावृत्ति: स्यान्नित्यं ब्रह्मकुलानुग: ।
शूद्रस्य द्विजशुश्रूषा वृत्तिश्च स्वामिनो भवेत् ॥ १५ ॥
Verse text
vaiśyas tu vārtā-vṛttiḥ syān
nityaṁ brahma-kulānugaḥ
śūdrasya dvija-śuśrūṣā
vṛttiś ca svāmino bhavet
Synonyms
vaiśyaḥ
—
the mercantile community
;
tu
—
indeed
;
vārtā
—
vṛttiḥ — engaged in agriculture, cow protection, and trade
;
syāt
—
must be
;
nityam
—
always
;
brahma
—
kula — anugaḥ — following the directions of the brāhmaṇas
;
śūdrasya
—
of the fourth-grade persons, the workers
;
dvija
—
śuśrūṣā — the service of the three higher sections (the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas )
;
vṛttiḥ
—
means of livelihood
;
ca
—
and
;
svāminaḥ
—
of the master
;
bhavet
—
he must be .
Translation
The mercantile community should always follow the directions of the brāhmaṇas and engage in such occupational duties as agriculture, trade, and protection of cows. For the śūdras the only duty is to accept a master from a higher social order and engage in his service.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The mercantile community should always engage in occupational duties under the directions of the brāhmaṇas. For the śūdras whose quality is service to the other varṇas, his livelihood is service to a master of a higher social order.
The occupation of the vaiśya is agriculture and commerce. The quality of the śūdra is serving the higher orders and his occupation is service to a master of those higher orders.