Verse 18.44

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 18.44:

कृषि-गो-रक्ष्य-वाणिज्यं वैश्य-कर्म स्वभाव-जम् ।
परिचर्यात्मकं कर्म शूद्रस्यापि स्वभाव-जम् ॥ ४४ ॥

kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṃ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam |
paricaryātmakaṃ karma śūdrasyāpi svabhāva-jam || 44 ||

kṛṣi–cultivating the produce of the land; go-rakṣya–cow protection; vāṇijyam–trade; vaiśya–of the vaiśyas; karma–work; sva-bhāva-jam–which is born of their own nature; paricarya–of rendering service; ātmakam–of the nature; karma–the work; śūdrasya–of the śūdras; api–and; svabhāva-jam–born of their own nature.

The prescribed duty of the vaiśyas, which is born of their nature, consists of agriculture, protecting cows, commerce and trade. The prescribed duty of the śūdras, also born of their very nature, consists of rendering service to the other classes.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

The mode of passion is predominant in vaiśyas;the mode of ignorance is less prominent. By nature, it is the tendency of the vaiśya to perform agriculture, cow protection, trade, etc. In fact, because they rear and protect the cows, they are called go-rakṣaka. The mode of ignorance is prominent in śūdras, not the mode of passion. Their natural karma is to render service to brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas.