Shloka 18
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
पाण्डवोंद्वारा देवर्षि नारदका पूजन कच्चिदाचरितं पूर्वर्नरदेव पितामहै: । वर्तसे वृत्तिमक्षुद्रां धर्मार्थसहितां त्रिषु
kaccid ācaritaṃ pūrvair naradeva pitāmahaiḥ | vartase vṛttim akṣudrāṃ dharmārthasahitāṃ triṣu, naradeva ||
ナーラダは言った。「王よ、汝は三つの身分――ブラーフマナ、ヴァイシャ、シュードラ――の民に対し、父祖の王たちがかつて行ったように、ダルマとアルタ（現実の利）を基として、卑しからぬ寛大な政（まつりごと）を施しているか。」
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.