Shloka 50
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कालातिक्रमणादेते भक्तवेतनयोर्भूता: । भर्तुः कुप्यन्ति यद्भृत्या: सोडनर्थ: सुमहान् स्मृत:
kālātikramaṇād ete bhaktavetanayor bhūtāḥ | bhartuḥ kupyanti yad bhṛtyāḥ so 'narthaḥ sumahān smṛtaḥ ||
Nārada said: “When there is undue delay in providing food and wages, servants become resentful of their master; and that anger, it is remembered, becomes a very great source of harm.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A leader or householder must provide dependents their due—especially food and wages—on time. Neglecting timely support breeds justified resentment, and that resentment can escalate into serious disorder and harm.
Nārada offers practical counsel on household and political management: he warns that delaying basic entitlements like provisions and pay provokes servants against their master, and such anger becomes a major cause of misfortune.