Dharmashastra: Ethics of Earning & Spending
Righteous earning in Manusmriti and Yajnavalkya Smriti; prohibited and permitted business practices; fair pricing, just wages, and honest dealings; debt ethics and interest rate principles; grihastha dharma - the householder's economic duties; relevance to ethical supply chains and fair trade in 2025
Lessons in this chapter
- Nyaya-Arjana: Righteous Earning Principles — Dharmic vs Adharmic Sources of Income
- Shuchi-Vyapara: Clean and Honest Business Practices — The Ancient Science of Fair Dealing
- Sama-Mulya: The Ethics of Fair Pricing — When Is Profit 'Too Much'?
- Bhritaka-Dharma: Just Wages and Labor Ethics — What Employers Owe Workers Beyond Money
- Rina-Niti: Debt Ethics and Interest Principles — When Borrowing Is Wise and What Interest Is Fair
- Grihastha-Dharma: The Householder's Economic Duties — The Integrated Framework for Earning, Saving, Spending, and Giving
- Relevance in 2026 and Beyond — Ancient Ethics for AI, Gig Work, and Stakeholder Capitalism