vṛttiḥ - the sustenance; bhūtāni - living beings; bhūtānām - of living beings; carāṇām - of those that move; acarāṇi - those that do not move; ca - and; kṛtā - executed; svena - by one's own conditioned nature; nṛṇām - for human beings; tatra - therein; kāmāt - out of lust; codanayā - in pursuit of Vedic injunction; api - indeed; vā - or.

Vṛtti means the process of sustenance, by which the moving beings live upon the nonmoving. For a human, vṛtti specifically means acting for one’s livelihood in a manner suited to his personal nature. Such action may be carried out either in pursuit of selfish desire or in accordance with the law of God.