Shloka 95
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चिन्न दुर्बल: शत्रुर्बलेन परिपीडित: । मन्त्रेण बलवान् कश्चिदुभाभ्यां च कथंचन
kaccin na durbalaḥ śatrur balena paripīḍitaḥ | mantreṇa balavān kaścid ubhābhyāṃ ca kathaṃcana ||
Nārada said: “Tell me—has any enemy who was once weak, and whom you previously crushed by force (yet did not kill), now somehow regained strength—either through counsel and strategy, or by both counsel and military power together—so that he is raising his head again?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must not ignore a previously subdued enemy: if left alive, he may recover through strategy (mantra) or through combined strategy and force (mantra-bala). Vigilance, intelligence, and timely policy are essential parts of rāja-dharma.
Nārada is conducting a probing inquiry into the king’s governance and security. He asks whether any formerly weakened adversary—earlier suppressed by military power but not eliminated—has now become strong again through counsel or through both counsel and armed strength.