Shloka 124
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चिदग्निभयाच्चैव सर्व व्यालभयात् तथा । रोगरक्षो भयाच्चैव राष्ट्र स्वं परिरक्षसि,क्या तुम अग्नि, सर्प, रोग तथा राक्षसोंके भयसे अपने सम्पूर्ण राष्ट्रकी रक्षा करते हो?
kaccid agnibhayāc caiva sarva-vyāla-bhayāt tathā | roga-rakṣo-bhayāc caiva rāṣṭraṁ svaṁ parirakṣasi ||
Nārada asked: “Do you duly safeguard your own kingdom—from the fear of fire, from the fear of all venomous creatures, and likewise from the fear of disease and of rākṣasas?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights rājadharma: a king’s ethical responsibility is not only justice and ritual order but also concrete protection of the realm from predictable dangers—fire, venomous creatures, epidemics, and violent threats—so that subjects can live securely.
Nārada, as a sage-messenger, questions the ruler about the condition of his governance. He specifically asks whether the king is actively safeguarding the kingdom against major sources of harm, using this as a measure of competent and dharmic rule.