Shloka 116
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चित् ते पुरुषा राजन पुरे राष्ट्रे च मानिता: । उपानयन्ति पण्यानि उपधाभिरवज्चिता:,महाराज! वे व्यापारीालोग आपके नगर और राष्ट्रमें सम्मानित हो विक्रीके लिये उपयोगी सामान लाते हैं न! उन्हें तुम्हारे कर्मचारी छलसे ठगते तो नहीं?
kaccit te puruṣā rājan pure rāṣṭre ca mānitāḥ | upānayanti paṇyāni upadhābhir avañcitāḥ ||
Nārada berkata: “Wahai Maharaja, apakah rakyatmu—terutama para pedagang—dihormati di kota dan di seluruh negeri? Apakah mereka membawa barang dagangan untuk dijual tanpa ditipu oleh tipu muslihat dan kecurangan (misalnya oleh para pejabatmu)?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s dharma includes protecting commerce through respect and fair treatment: merchants and subjects should be honoured and must not be cheated by state agents or through deceitful practices, since economic justice sustains social order.
Nārada addresses the king with a diagnostic question about the condition of the realm: whether people—particularly traders bringing goods to market—are respected in the city and kingdom and whether they are free from deception and exploitation.