Shloka 24
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चिन्न कृतकैर्दूतैयें चाप्पपरिशड्किता: । त्वत्तो वा तव चामात्यैभियथ्यते मन्त्रितं तथा,जिनपर तुम्हें संदेह नहीं होता, ऐसे शत्रुके गुप्तचर कृत्रिम मित्र बनकर तुम्हारे मन्त्रियोंद्वारा तुम्हारी गुप्त मन्त्रणाको जानकर उसे प्रकाशित तो नहीं कर देते?
kaccin na kṛtakair dūtaiḥ ye cāpy apariśaṅkitāḥ | tvatto vā tava cāmātyair bhidyate mantritaṃ tathā ||
Nārada berkata: “Apakah engkau tetap waspada agar para agen musuh—menyamar sebagai sahabat palsu sehingga tak dicurigai—tidak, melalui dirimu atau para menterimu, mengetahui musyawarah rahasia sebagaimana adanya lalu membocorkannya?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must protect the confidentiality of counsel: secrecy is a moral and practical duty of governance, and it can be compromised not only by enemies but also through careless trust and weak ministerial discipline.
Nārada continues his series of probing questions to the ruler, testing whether the kingdom is well-governed; here he asks whether disguised enemy agents, posing as friends, are able to penetrate the royal council and leak deliberations.