Shloka 78
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चिद् राष्ट्र तडागानि पूर्णानि च बृहन्ति च । भागशो विनिविष्टानि न कृषिर्देवमातृका,क्या तुम्हारे राज्यके सभी भागोंमें जलसे भरे हुए बड़े-बड़े तालाब बनवाये गये हैं? केवल वर्षाके पानीके भरोसे ही तो खेती नहीं होती है?
kaccid rāṣṭra-taḍāgāni pūrṇāni ca bṛhanti ca | bhāgaśo viniviṣṭāni na kṛṣir devamātṛkā ||
Nārada said: “Tell me—have large reservoirs and ponds been constructed throughout your kingdom, filled with water and properly distributed in every region? For agriculture should not be left dependent only on the rains; a realm’s prosperity rests on planned irrigation and foresight.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s dharma includes proactive public works: ensuring water storage and irrigation across the realm so that farming and livelihoods are not precariously dependent on rainfall. Good governance is measured by foresight, equitable distribution of resources, and protection from predictable scarcity.
Nārada is questioning the ruler about the condition of the kingdom. This verse is part of a welfare-audit: he asks whether large, well-sited water tanks exist in all regions, emphasizing that agriculture should not rely only on rain.