Shloka 126

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

षडनर्था महाराज कच्चित्‌ ते पृष्ठतः कृता: । निद्रा55लस्यं भयं क्रोधोमार्दवं दीर्घसूत्रता

Transliteration

ṣaḍ anarthā mahārāja kaccit te pṛṣṭhataḥ kṛtāḥ | nidrā ālasyaṁ bhayaṁ krodho mārdavaṁ dīrghasūtratā ||

Translation

Nārada said: “O great king, have you truly put behind you these six sources of ruin—sleep (in the sense of heedless sloth), laziness, fear, anger, softness that yields where firmness is required, and procrastination? Have you cast them away?”

Word by Word

• षट्: six
• षट्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• अनर्थाः: evils, misfortunes (faults)
• अनर्थाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• कच्चित्: surely? I hope (interrogative particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित्

• ते: of you, your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: —, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• पृष्ठतः: behind, at the back (i.e., put behind)
• पृष्ठतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृष्ठतः

• कृताः: made/placed (put)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूत (कृत-प्रयोगः; कर्मणि/भावे), —, बहुवचन, पुं, प्रथमा

• निद्रा: sleep
• निद्रा: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: निद्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्री, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• आलस्यम्: laziness
• आलस्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आलस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भयम्: fear
• भयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• क्रोधः: anger
• क्रोधः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रोध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मार्दवम्: softness, mildness (lack of firmness)
• मार्दवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्दव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दीर्घसूत्रता: procrastination, delay (lit. long-threadedness)
• दीर्घसूत्रता: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीर्घसूत्रता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्री, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Mahārāja (the king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler (and any responsible person) must overcome six destructive tendencies—torpor, laziness, fear, anger, undue softness, and procrastination—because they undermine judgment, discipline, and timely action, leading to personal and political ruin.

What is happening in the narrative?

The sage Nārada addresses the king with a probing question, testing whether he has conquered key inner weaknesses that threaten effective rule. The verse functions as a moral audit of readiness for righteous governance.