Shloka 129

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच एवं यो वर्तते राजा चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य रक्षणे । स विहृत्येह सुसुखी शक्रस्यैति सलोकताम्‌,नारदजीने कहा--जो राजा इस प्रकार चारों वर्णों (और वर्णाश्रमधर्म)-की रक्षामें संलग्न रहता है, वह इस लोकमें अत्यन्त सुखपूर्वक विहार करके अन्तमें देवराज इन्द्रके लोकमें जाता है

Transliteration

nārada uvāca evaṁ yo vartate rājā cāturvarṇyasya rakṣaṇe | sa vihṛtyeha susukhī śakrasya eti salokatām ||

Translation

Dijo Nārada: El rey que se conduce de este modo—firme en proteger el orden social de las cuatro varṇa (y los deberes de varṇa y āśrama)—goza de gran dicha en este mundo; y, tras vivir bien aquí, alcanza al fin el mismo mundo que Śakra (Indra).

Word by Word

नारदःNarada

उवाचsaid

एवम्thus

यःwho

वर्ततेconducts himself / behaves

राजाking

चातुर्वर्ण्यस्यof the fourfold social order (four varnas)

रक्षणेin (the act of) protection

सःhe

विहृत्यhaving enjoyed / having sported

इहhere (in this world)

सुसुखीvery happy

शक्रस्यof Shakra (Indra)

एतिgoes / attains

स-लोकताम्the state of being in the same world (as him)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

rājā (the king)

cāturvarṇya (four varṇas)

Śakra/Indra

Śakra-loka (Indra's world)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler’s primary ethical duty is to safeguard dharma—here framed as protecting the cāturvarṇya and varṇa-āśrama duties. Such righteous governance yields both worldly well-being and a meritorious posthumous destiny (attainment of Indra’s realm).

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is describing the फल (result) of ideal royal conduct: a king who actively maintains social and religious order lives happily in this world and, upon death, reaches Śakra’s heavenly world.