Shloka 58
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चिद् व्यसनिन शत्रुं निशम्य भरतर्षभ । अभियासि जवेनैव समीक्ष्य त्रिविधं बलम्,भरतकुलभूषण! क्या तुम अपने शत्रुको (स्त्री-द्यूत आदि) दुर्व्यसनोंमें फँसा हुआ सुनकर उसके त्रिविध बल (मन्त्र, कोष एवं भृत्य-बल अथवा प्रभुशक्ति, मन्त्रशक्ति एवं उत्साहशक्ति)-पर विचार करके यदि वह दुर्बल हो तो उसके ऊपर बड़े वेगसे आक्रमण कर देते हो?
kaccid vyasaninaṁ śatruṁ niśamya bharatarṣabha | abhiyāsi javenaiva samīkṣya trividhaṁ balam ||
Nārada said: “O bull among the Bharatas, when you learn that an enemy has fallen into ruinous addictions, do you first assess his threefold strength and, finding him weakened, swiftly move to strike? (The counsel implies a ruler’s duty to act with clear-eyed strategy—measuring counsel, resources, and forces—rather than being driven by impulse.)”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should act strategically: when an adversary is compromised by destructive vices, one should evaluate the opponent’s threefold strength (counsel, resources, and forces/energy) and then act decisively if the situation is favorable—balancing prudence with timely action.
In Nārada’s interrogation-style counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira in the Sabha Parva, he asks whether the king follows sound political practice—specifically, whether he assesses an enemy’s condition and capacities and, if the enemy is weakened by addictions, advances swiftly after due evaluation.