Mahabharata · Chapter 12.299
vṛttiḥ sakāśādvarṇebhyastribhyo hīnasya śobhanā /
prītyopanītā nirdiṣṭā dharmiṣṭhānkurute sadā //
vṛttiścennāsti śūdrasya pitṛpaitāmahī dhruvā /
na vṛttiṃ parato mārgecchuśrūṣāṃ tu prayojayet //
sadbhistu saha saṃsargaḥ śobhate dharmadarśibhiḥ /
nityaṃ sarvāsvavasthāsu nāsadbhiriti me matiḥ //
yathodayagirau dravyaṃ sannikarṣeṇa dīpyate /
tathā satsannikarṣeṇa hīnavarṇo'pi dīyate //
yādṛśena hi varṇena bhāvyate śuklamambaram /
tādṛśaṃ kurute rūpametadevamavehi me //
tasmādguṇeṣu rajyethā mā doṣeṣu kadācana /
anityamiha martyānāṃ jīvitaṃ hi calācalam //
sukhe vā yadi vā duḥkhe vartamāno vicakṣaṇaḥ /
yaścinoti śubhānyeva sa bhadrāṇīha paśyati //
dharmādapetaṃ yatkarma yadyapi syānmahāphalam /
na tatseveta medhāvī na taddhitamihocyate //
dharmeṇa sahitaṃ yattu bhavedalpaphalodayam / tatkāryamaviśaṅkena karmātyantaṃ sukhāvaham //
yo hṛtvā gosahasrāṇi nṛpo dadyādarakṣitā /
sa śabdamātraphalabhāgrājā bhavati taskaraḥ //
svayambhūrasṛjaccāgre dhātāraṃ lokasatkṛtam /
dhātā'sṛjatputramekaṃ lokānāṃ dhāraṇe ratam //
tamarcayitvā vaiśyastu kuryādatyarthamṛddhimat /
rakṣitavyaṃ tu rājanyairupayojyaṃ dvijātibhiḥ //
ajihnairaśaṭhakrodhairhavyakavyaprayoktṛbhiḥ /
śūrdairnirmārjanaṃ kāryamevaṃ dharmo na naśyati //
apranaṣṭe tato dharme bhavanti sukhitāḥ prajāḥ /
sukhena tāsāṃ rājendra modante divi devatāḥ //
tasmādyo rakṣati nṛpaḥ sa dharmeṇeti pūjyate /
adhīte cāpi yo vipro vaiśyo yaścārjane rataḥ //
yaśca śuśrūṣate śūdraḥ satataṃ niyatendriyaḥ /
ato'nyathā manuṣyendra svadharmātparihīyate //
prāṇasantāpanirdiṣṭāḥ kākiṇyo'pi mahāphalāḥ /
nyāyenopārjitā dattāḥ kimutānyāḥ sahasraśaḥ //
satkṛtya hi dvijātibhyo yo dadāti narādhipaḥ /
yādṛśaṃ tādṛśaṃ nityamaśnāti phalamūrjitam //
abhigamya tu yaddattaṃ dharmyamāhurabhiṣṭutam /
yācitena tu yaddattaṃ tadāhurmadhyamaṃ phalam //
avajñayā dīyate yattathaivāśraddhayā'pi vā /
tadāhuradhamaṃ dānaṃ munayaḥ satyavādinaḥ //
atikrāmenmajjamāno vividhena naraḥ sadā /
tathā prayatnaṃ kurvīta yathā mucyeta saṃśayāt //
damena śobhate vipraḥ kṣatriyo vijayena tu /
dhanena vaiśyaḥ śṛdrastu nityaṃ dākṣyeṇa śobhate //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0