Shloka 36
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चिद् दुर्गाणि सर्वाणि धनधान्यायुधोदकै: । यन्त्रैश्न परिपूर्णानि तथा शिल्पिधनुर्धरै:
kaccid durgāṇi sarvāṇi dhanadhānyāyudhodakaiḥ | yantraiś ca paripūrṇāni tathā śilpidhanuḥdharaiḥ ||
Nārada said: “Are all your forts well supplied—filled with wealth and grain, weapons and water, and equipped with engines of defense, as well as skilled artisans and bow-bearing soldiers?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s dharma includes prudent governance: ensuring forts are fully provisioned and staffed—food, treasury, arms, water, defensive technology, and skilled personnel—so the realm is protected without panic or injustice in times of crisis.
In Sabha Parva, Nārada conducts a systematic inquiry into the king’s administration. Here he asks whether the kingdom’s forts are properly stocked and manned, testing the ruler’s readiness and competence in protecting subjects.