FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 12.3.35

पणयिष्यन्ति वै क्षुद्रा: किराटा: कूटकारिण: । अनापद्यपि मंस्यन्ते वार्तां साधु जुगुप्सिताम् ॥ ३५ ॥
paṇayiṣyanti vai kṣudrāḥ
[panayishyanti vai kshudraah]
kirāṭāḥ kūṭa-kāriṇaḥ
[kiraataah koota-kaarinah]
anāpady api maṁsyante
[anaapady api mamsyante]
vārtāṁ sādhu jugupsitām
[vaartaam saadhu jugupsitaam]
Word-for-word
paṇayiṣyanti — will engage in commerce vai — indeed kṣudrāḥ — petty kirāṭāḥ — the merchants kūṭa-kāriṇaḥ — indulging in cheating anāpadi — when there is no emergency api — even maṁsyante — people will consider vārtām — an occupation sādhu — good jugupsitām — which is actually contemptible.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
paṇayiṣyanti vai kṣudrāḥ
paṇayiṣyanti
will engage in commerce
vai
indeed
kṣudrāḥ
petty
kirāṭāḥ kūṭa-kāriṇaḥ
kirāṭāḥ
the merchants
kūṭa-kāriṇaḥ
indulging in cheating
anāpady api maṁsyante
anāpadi
when there is no emergency
api
even
maṁsyante
people will consider
vārtāṁ sādhu jugupsitām
vārtām
an occupation
sādhu
good
jugupsitām
which is actually contemptible.
Businessmen will engage in petty commerce and earn their money by cheating. Even when there is no emergency, people will consider any degraded occupation quite acceptable.
Purport

Although other occupations are available, people do not hesitate to work in coal mines, slaughterhouses, steel mills, deserts, floating oil rigs, submarines and other equally abominable situations. As also mentioned here, businessmen will consider cheating and lying to be a perfectly respectable way to do business. These are all symptoms of the Age of Kali.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Petty merchants will earn their money by cheating. Even when there is no emergency, all varṇas will consider any degraded occupation as good. Merchants (kirāṭāḥ), after cheating by use of adharma (kūta-kāriṇaḥ), will carry out transactions. All varṇas will consider a despised occupation as good, even when there is no emergency.
Personal Guidance
Petty commerce and cheating become normal; any degraded job is taken without hesitation. The reader's question is not 'how can I avoid all such work?' but 'how do I keep my heart honest within the work I have?'
Reflection Questions
  • Where might I be normalizing cheating in my work?
  • What single act of integrity could I commit to tomorrow?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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