Shloka 28
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चित् संवृतमन्त्रैस्तैरमात्यै: शास्त्रकोविदै: । राष्ट्र सुरक्षितं तात शत्रुभिर्न विलुप्यते
kaccit saṁvṛtamantrais tair amātyaiḥ śāstrakovidaiḥ | rāṣṭraṁ surakṣitaṁ tāta śatrubhir na vilupyate tāta ||
Nārada said: “Dear child, is your kingdom well protected by those ministers who keep counsel strictly confidential and are skilled in the treatises of governance? Is it safe—so that enemies are not plundering it or bringing it to ruin?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Effective kingship depends on competent ministers who are both learned in governance (śāstra) and disciplined in confidentiality; secrecy in counsel and administrative expertise are presented as ethical necessities for protecting the realm from external harm.
Nārada, inquiring into the condition of the ruler’s administration, asks whether the kingdom is being safeguarded by trustworthy, learned ministers who keep strategic deliberations secret, and whether enemies are failing to damage or plunder the state.