Devanagari
वृत्ति: सङ्करजातीनां तत्तत्कुलकृता भवेत् ।
अचौराणामपापानामन्त्यजान्तेवसायिनाम् ॥ ३० ॥
Verse text
vṛttiḥ saṅkara-jātīnāṁ
tat-tat-kula-kṛtā bhavet
acaurāṇām apāpānām
antyajāntevasāyinām
Synonyms
vṛttiḥ
—
occupational duty
;
saṅkara
—
jātīnām — of the mixed classes of men (those other than the four divisions)
;
tat
—
tat — according to their respective
;
kula
—
kṛtā — family tradition
;
bhavet
—
should be
;
acaurāṇām
—
not thieves by profession
;
apāpānām
—
not sinful
;
antyaja
—
lower classes
;
antevasāyinām
—
known as antevasāyī or caṇḍāla. .
Translation
Among the mixed classes known as saṅkara, those who are not thieves are known as antevasāyī or caṇḍālas [dog-eaters], and they also have their hereditary customs.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The occupations of persons of mixed castes who are not thieves and are not sinful in conduct, such as the castes called antyaja and antevasāyi, should be the occupations of their family tradition.
The occupations of those who marry a woman of higher or lower varṇa are described. They take the occupation of their family. Thus those from barber families become barbers and those from washer men families become washer men. These persons should not come from sinful families such as those addicted to drinking and illicit sex. Thievery is also forbidden. These occupations, without involving theft, are considered to have no sin attached to them. Some examples are given of persons married to women of higher caste.
rajakaś carmakāraś ca naṭo varuḍa eva ca
kaivartam edabhillāś ca saptaite antyajāḥ smṛtāḥ
The washer man, leather dealer, actor, cane splitter, fisherman, the meda and the mountain tribal are known as antyaja.
Angevasāyi means caṇḍāla [Note: A cṇḍala is born of a brāhmaṇa woman and śūdra man.] and others.
Purport
The four principal divisions of society —
brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya
and
śūdra
— have been defined, and now there is a description of the
antyaja,
the mixed classes. Among the mixed classes, there are two divisions —
pratilomaja
and
anulomaja.
If a woman of a high caste marries a man of a lower caste, their union is called
pratilo.
If a woman of a low caste, however, marries a man of a higher caste, their union is called
anulo.
The members of such dynasties have their traditional duties as barbers, washermen and so on. Among the
antyajas,
those who are still somewhat pure in that they do not steal and are not addicted to meat-eating, drinking, illicit sex and gambling are called
antevasāyī.
Among people of the lower classes, intermarriage and the drinking of wine are allowed, for these people do not recognize such conduct as sinful among themselves.