Shloka 42
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चिदज्गभेषु निष्णातो ज्योतिष: प्रतिपादक: । उत्पातेषु च सर्वेषु दैवज्ञ: कुशलस्तव
kaccid aṅgabhēṣu niṣṇāto jyotiṣaḥ pratipādakaḥ | utpāteṣu ca sarveṣu daivajñaḥ kuśalas tava ||
Nārada said: “Do you have among you a skilled astrologer—one well trained in examining bodily marks and limbs, able to interpret the courses of the planets and their auspicious or inauspicious results, and competent to foresee every kind of portent—celestial, terrestrial, and those connected with the human body?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A well-governed realm values competent counsel: the verse highlights the practical dharma of kingship—maintaining experts who can interpret signs (astral and terrestrial) to anticipate danger and guide timely, ethical decisions.
Nārada is questioning the ruler’s preparedness and administrative completeness, asking whether the court includes a capable astrologer/diviner who can read bodily marks, planetary movements, and all kinds of omens to warn of impending events.