Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 74
Threefold Suffering, Twofold Knowledge, and the Definition of Bhagavān (Vāsudeva); Prelude to Keśidhvaja–Janaka Yoga
कृताभिः प्रार्थ्यते राज्यमनायासितसैनिकैः । प्राहस्य तानाह नृपः स खांडिक्यो महापतिः ॥ ७२ ॥
kṛtābhiḥ prārthyate rājyamanāyāsitasainikaiḥ | prāhasya tānāha nṛpaḥ sa khāṃḍikyo mahāpatiḥ || 72 ||
Lorsque les Kṛtas—dont les troupes n’avaient point été éprouvées au combat—le demandèrent le royaume, le roi Khāṇḍikya, grand seigneur, se mit à rire et leur parla.
Narrator (Purana narrative voice; within the wider dialogue tradition attributed to Narada’s instruction)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: hasya
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames kingship as something offered and negotiated within dharma: power is not merely seized by force, but conferred through social consent, and the ruler’s response signals discernment and responsibility.
Bhakti is not explicit here; the verse functions as narrative groundwork in the Moksha-Dharma section, where worldly authority is shown as secondary and to be handled with detachment and right judgment—qualities supportive of devotion-centered life.
No Vedanga (e.g., Vyakarana, Jyotisha, Kalpa) is directly taught in this verse; it primarily reflects Rajadharma and narrative ethics rather than a technical instruction.