Shloka 18

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

पाण्डवोंद्वारा देवर्षि नारदका पूजन कच्चिदाचरितं पूर्वर्नरदेव पितामहै: । वर्तसे वृत्तिमक्षुद्रां धर्मार्थसहितां त्रिषु,नरदेव! क्या तुम ब्राह्मण, वैश्य और शूद्र--इन तीनों वर्णोकी प्रजाओंके प्रति अपने पिता-पितामहोंद्वारा व्यवहारमें लायी हुई धर्मार्थयुक्त उत्तम एवं उदार वृत्तिका व्यवहार करते हो?

Transliteration

kaccid ācaritaṃ pūrvair naradeva pitāmahaiḥ | vartase vṛttim akṣudrāṃ dharmārthasahitāṃ triṣu, naradeva ||

Translation

Nārada dit : «Ô roi, te conduis-tu—envers les trois ordres sociaux (brāhmaṇa, vaiśya et śūdra)—selon cette manière de gouverner, noble et généreuse, fondée à la fois sur le dharma et sur le bien-être pratique, que tes pères et tes aïeux pratiquaient autrefois ?»

Word by Word

कच्चित्whether?, I hope

आचरितम्practised, observed

पूर्वैःby the former (elders)

नरदेवO king (god among men)

पितामहैःby grandfathers/forefathers

वर्तसेdo you conduct yourself / do you follow

वृत्तिम्conduct, mode of life, practice

अक्षुद्राम्not mean; noble

धर्मार्थसहिताम्accompanied by dharma and artha

त्रिषुamong the three

नरदेवO king

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

naradeva (the king addressed)

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 uphold a magnanimous, non-petty standard of conduct that harmonizes dharma (righteousness) with artha (public welfare and prosperity), and apply it consistently in dealings with the social orders under his protection.

What is happening in the narrative?

The sage Nārada addresses the king with a formal, probing question, checking whether the king’s administration follows the time-tested, dharma-guided practices of his forefathers—especially in how he treats and governs the three varṇas mentioned in the contextual gloss.