Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.17.47

sīdan vipro vanig-vrittyā

panyair evāpadam taret

khadgena vāpadākrānto

na śva-vrittyā kathañcana

SYNONYMS

sīdan — suffering; viprah — a brāhmana; vanik — of a merchant; vrittyā — by the occupation; panyaih — by doing business; eva — indeed; āpadam — suffering; taret — should overcome; khadgena — with sword; vā — or; āpadā — by suffering; ākrāntah — afflicted; na — not; śva — of the dog; vrittyā — by the occupation; kathañcana — by any means.

TRANSLATION

If a brāhmana cannot support himself through his regular duties and is thus suffering, he may adopt the occupation of a merchant and overcome his destitute condition by buying and selling material things. If he continues to suffer extreme poverty even as a merchant, then he may adopt the occupation of a kshatriya, taking sword in hand. But he cannot in any circumstances become like a dog, accepting an ordinary master.

PURPORT

Śva-vrittyā, or "a dog's profession," refers to the śūdras, who cannot live without accepting a master. A destitute brāhmana who is suffering intolerably may become a merchant and then a kshatriya but may never take the position of a śūdra by working in a company or accepting a master. Although a kshatriya is ordinarily considered more elevated than a vaiśya, the Lord here recommends that distressed brāhmanas first accept the vaiśya occupation, since it is not violent.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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