Shloka 71

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

कच्चिदायस्य चार्थेन चतुर्भागेन वा पुनः । पादभागैस्त्रिभिवापि व्यय: संशुद्धयते तव,क्या तुम्हारी आयके एक चौथाई या आधे अथवा तीन चौथाई भागसे तुम्हारा सारा खर्च चल जाता है?

Transliteration

kaccid āyasya cārthena caturbhāgena vā punaḥ | pādabhāgais tribhir vāpi vyayaḥ saṁśuddhyate tava ||

Translation

Nārada dijo: «¿Se cubren por completo tus gastos domésticos con solo una parte de tus ingresos—con una cuarta parte, o con la mitad, o incluso con tres cuartas partes—, de modo que tu gasto quede limpiamente satisfecho, sin derroche ni deuda?»

Word by Word

कच्चित्whether? (I hope/Is it the case that…)

आयस्यof (your) income

चand

अर्थेनby means of wealth/means

चतुर्भागेनwith a fourth part

वाor

पुनःagain / alternatively

पादभागैःwith quarter-shares

त्रिभिःwith three

अपिalso / even

व्ययःexpenditure

संशुद्ध्यतेis fully met/cleared (is made sufficient)

तवyour

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should practice financial discipline: expenditure should be comfortably covered by income, ideally leaving a surplus. This reflects ethical governance—avoiding waste, debt, and oppressive extraction—so the treasury and the people remain secure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is examining the king’s administrative competence through practical questions. Here he asks whether the king’s expenses are managed within a fraction of revenue, implying prudent budgeting and orderly statecraft.