Manava Dharmashastra 4.2

4.2

'dehi dehīti' yācyamānasya yaḥ parasya cittavikāraḥ khedātmako jāyate sa 'droho''bhipretaḥ, na punarhiṃsaiva | tasyāḥ sarvasāmānyenaiva pratiṣedhāt | alpadroheṇeti | yācyā vinā yadi na vartyate tadā svalpaṃ yācitavyam, eṣo''lpadrohaḥ' | yā vṛttirjīvanopāyaḥ, kṛṣisevādi | yasyāṃ vṛttau parasya pīḍā na bhavati sā āśrayitavyā | sāmānyopadeśo'yam | samāsthāya āśritya jīvet | āpadi daśame vidhirbhaviṣyati | asmāccopadeśādvakṣyamāṇābhya anyāpi vṛttirbhavatīti gamyate | anyathā vakṣyamāṇaviśeṣaniṣṭhatve sāmānyasyopadeśasyānarthakyameva syāt | tena ca yājanādhyāpane kusīdam amṛtādimadhye apaṭhitamapi labhyate | alpīyasī yā uñchavṛttirgṛhītā asau hi 'alpadrohaḥ' | tathā ca gautamaḥ (a0 10 sū0 5, 6) "kṛṣivāṇijye cāsvayaṃ kṛte | kusīdaṃ ca" | jīvanamātro'yaṃ vidhirdhanasañcayastu vakṣyamāṇaireva niyataiḥ karmabhiḥ |
1104 ) kartavyaḥ | parveṣṭdirśapūrṇamāsau, ayanāṃte ca yajña āgrayaṇākhyaḥ |

[While living in the house], The Brāhmaṇa shall, in normal times, subsist by taking to that means of livelihood which involves no trouble—or very little trouble—to living beings.—(2)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
By ‘trouble’ here is meant, not only harm, but the unpleasant feeling or displeasure that is produced in the mind of one who is constantly begged with the words ‘give me this,’ ‘give me that;’—the harming of others being already generally prohibited.

‘Little trouble;’—If he cannot manage to live without begging, he should beg very little. This is what.is meant by ‘little trouble.’

That ‘means of livelihood’—means of subsistence, such as agriculture, service, and the like—which means does not cause trouble to other persons,—such a means of subsistence should be taken to.

This is a general advice.

‘By taking to that means...he should subsist.’

What is to be done in abnormal times of distress shall be laid down in Discourse X.

From what is said here it follows that there are also other means of living than those that are going to be described. Otherwise, if the present text referred to those only that are going to be described, there would be no point in the general injunction here put forward. Thus it is that we get at such means of living as ‘officiating at sacrifices,’ ‘teaching,’ ‘money-lending,’ and so forth,—even though these are not mentioned among ‘amṛta’ and the rest enumerated here.

‘Living on gleanings,’ which has been accepted as a very small means of subsistence, is what is meant by ‘involving little trouble.’ Says Gautama (10.6)—‘Agriculture and Trade, done through others, as also money-lending.’

What is here laid down is the means of mere subsistence; the amassing of wealth is to be done by the few specialised means going to be enumerated.—(2)