Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 18: Freedom through Renunciation
Bhagavad Gita 18.44
कृषिगौरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम् ।
परिचर्यात्मकं कर्म शूद्रस्यापि स्वभावजम् ॥
kṛṣigaurakṣyavāṇijyaṃ vaiśyakarma svabhāvajam | paricaryātmakaṃ karma śūdrasyāpi svabhāvajam ||
Farming, tending cattle, and trade are the duties of a vaishya, born of his nature. Work that consists of service is the duty of a shudra, born of his nature.
Modern context
The traditional duties of producers are farming, herding and trade; those of workers, service. In their historical setting these verses reflect a hierarchical society. Today many read them more broadly: every kind of work, from growing food to caring for others, is honourable and can be a path to perfection, as the next verses say. No work is beneath the divine.