Shloka 43
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चिन्मुख्या महत्स्वेव मध्यमेषु च मध्यमा: । जघन्याश्न जघन्येषु भृत्या: कर्मसु योजिता:,तुमने प्रधान-प्रधान व्यक्तियोंको उनके योग्य महान् कार्योमें, मध्यम श्रेणीके कार्यकर्ताओंको मध्यम कार्योंमें तथा निम्न श्रेणीके सेवकोंको उनकी योग्यताके अनुसार छोटे कामोंमें ही लगा रखा है न?
kaccin mukhyā mahatsv eva madhyameṣu ca madhyamāḥ | jaghanyāś ca jaghanyeṣu bhṛtyāḥ karmasu yojitāḥ ||
Narada said: “Have you ensured that the foremost are engaged in truly great responsibilities, those of middling capacity in tasks of a middle order, and the lowest in the lesser duties—so that servants are assigned to work in accordance with their competence?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes rajadharma: effective and ethical governance requires assigning responsibilities according to ability and rank—major tasks to the most capable, intermediate tasks to the middling, and minor tasks to the least capable—so that the state functions smoothly and people are not burdened beyond their competence.
Nārada is conducting a probing inquiry into the ruler’s administration, asking whether the king has properly organized his personnel—especially servants and officials—by matching each person’s capacity to an appropriate level of work.