Shloka 57

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

कच्चित्‌ त्वमेव सर्वस्या: पृथिव्या: पृथिवीपते । समश्नानभिशड्क्यश्न यथा माता यथा पिता,पृथ्वीपते! क्या समस्त भूमण्डलकी प्रजा तुम्हें ही समदर्शी एवं माता- पिताके समान विश्वसनीय मानती है?

Transliteration

kaccit tvam eva sarvasyāḥ pṛthivyāḥ pṛthivīpate | samaśnān abhiśaṅkyaśna yathā mātā yathā pitā ||

Translation

Nārada berkata: “Wahai penguasa bumi, benarkah seluruh rakyat di negerimu memandang engkau seorang diri sebagai adil tanpa pilih kasih dan sepenuhnya dapat dipercaya—laksana ibu dan laksana ayah—sehingga mereka hidup tanpa takut dan tanpa curiga?”

Word by Word

कच्चित्surely? (interrogative particle: 'is it the case that...?')

त्वम्you

एवindeed, alone, just

सर्वस्याःof all (of the whole)

पृथिव्याःof the earth

पृथिवीपतेO lord of the earth (king)

समश्नान्those who eat equally / those treated equally (lit. 'equal-eating')

अभिशङ्क्यhaving suspected, after suspecting

अश्नeat (you should eat)

यथाas, like

माताmother

यथाas, like

पिताfather

पृथिवीपतेO lord of the earth

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

pṛthivīpati (the king addressed)

pṛthivī (the earth/kingdom)

prajā (subjects/people, implied)

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’s dharma is to be impartial and reliably protective, so that subjects feel the same confidence in him as in their parents; public trust is a moral measure of good governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada addresses the king and tests his fitness to rule by asking whether the entire populace experiences him as even-handed and dependable—free from fear and suspicion—like a mother and father to all.