Shloka 55
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चिद् दारान्मनुष्याणां तवार्थ मृत्युमीयुषाम् । व्यसन चाभ्युपेतानां बिभर्षि भरतर्षभ
kaccid dārān manuṣyāṇāṃ tavārtha mṛtyum īyuṣām | vyasanaṃ cābhyupetānāṃ bibharṣi bharatarṣabha ||
Nārada said: “O bull among the Bharatas, do you duly support and protect the wives and families of those men who, for your sake, have met with death, or who have fallen into grievous calamity?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s dharma includes caring for dependents—especially the wives and children of those who died or suffered calamity in the ruler’s service—so that loyalty and sacrifice are met with protection, not abandonment.
Nārada, in a sequence of probing questions on royal conduct, asks the Bharata king whether he upholds his duty by maintaining and safeguarding the families of men who have died for him or have been overwhelmed by misfortune.