Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.11.16
వార్తా విచిత్రా శాలీనయాయావరశిలోఞ్ఛనమ్ ।
విప్రవృత్తిశ్చతుర్ధేయం శ్రేయసీ చోత్తరోత్తరా ॥ ౧౬ ॥
vārtā vicitrā śālīna-
[vaartaa vichitraa shaaleena-]
yāyāvara-śiloṣchanam
[yaayaavara-shiloshchanam]
vipra-vṛttiś caturdheyaṁ
[vipra-vrittish chaturdheyam]
śreyasī cottarottarā
[shreyasee chottarottaraa]
Word-for-word
vārtā
—
the occupational means of livelihood for the vaiśya (agriculture, cow protection, and trade)
vicitrā
—
various types
śālīna
—
livelihood achieved without effort
yāyāvara
—
going to the field to beg for some paddy
śila
—
picking up the grains left in the field by the proprietor
uṣchanam
—
picking up the grains that have fallen from bags in shops
vipra-vṛttiḥ
—
the means of livelihood for the brāhmaṇas
caturdhā
—
four different kinds
iyam
—
this
śreyasī
—
better
ca
—
also
uttara-uttarā
—
the latter compared to the former.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
vārtā vicitrā śālīna-
vārtā
the occupational means of livelihood for the vaiśya (agriculture, cow protection, and trade)
vicitrā
various types
śālīna
livelihood achieved without effort
yāyāvara-śiloṣchanam
yāyāvara
going to the field to beg for some paddy
śila
picking up the grains left in the field by the proprietor
uṣchanam
picking up the grains that have fallen from bags in shops
vipra-vṛttiś caturdheyaṁ
vipra-vṛttiḥ
the means of livelihood for the brāhmaṇas
caturdhā
four different kinds
iyam
this
śreyasī cottarottarā
śreyasī
better
ca
also
uttara-uttarā
the latter compared to the former.
As an alternative, a brāhmaṇa may also take to the vaiśya’s occupational duty of agriculture, cow protection, or trade. He may depend on that which he has received without begging, he may beg in the paddy field every day, he may collect paddy left in a field by its proprietor, or he may collect food grains left here and there in the shops of grain dealers. These are four means of livelihood that may also be adopted by brāhmaṇas. Among these four, each of them in succession is better than the one preceding it.
Purport
A brāhmaṇa is sometimes offered land and cows in charity, and thus for his livelihood he may act in the same way as a vaiśya, by cultivating land, giving protection to cows and trading off his surpluses. A better process, however, is to pick up grains from a field or from a dealer’s shop without begging.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
The brāhmaṇa may also adopt four other means of livelihood. He may depend on that which he has received without begging, he may beg every day, he may collect paddy left in a field by its proprietor, or he may collect food grains left here and there in the shops of grain dealers. Among these four, each of them in succession is better than the one preceding it.
This verse describes alternative occupations for the brāhmaṇa. There are various other occupations for the brāhmaṇa. Śālīna means receiving food without begging. Yāyāvara means begging for one day’s grains. Śila means collecting left over grains from the field. Uṣchanam means collecting grains which have fallen on the ground in the market and left there.
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Source: vedabase.io