Shloka 98
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चिद् धर्मे त्रयीमूले पूर्वराचरिते जनै: । यतमानस्तथा कर्तु तस्मिन् कर्मणि वर्तसे
kaccid dharme trayīmūle pūrvarācarite janaiḥ | yatamānas tathā kartu tasmin karmaṇi vartase ||
Nārada said: “Are you striving to follow that dharma whose foundation is the three Vedas, and which has been practiced by the people of old? Do you remain engaged in that very course of action—conduct aligned with dharma—seeking to perform it as your forefathers did?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma should be grounded in the Vedas (trayī) and verified through the tested conduct of the wise and the ancients; one should actively strive to live by such dharma in one’s actions.
Nārada is examining the addressee’s moral and administrative integrity by asking whether he is earnestly engaged in Veda-rooted, traditionally practiced dharma—an evaluative question typical of counsel to rulers.