Shloka 46
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चित् त्वां नावजानन्ति याजका: पतितं यथा । उग्रप्रतिग्रहीतारं कामयानमिव स्त्रिय:,जैसे पवित्र याजक पतित यजमानका और स्त्रियाँ कामचारी पुरुषका तिरस्कार कर देती हैं, उसी प्रकार प्रजा कठोरतापूर्वक अधिक कर लेनेके कारण तुम्हारा अनादर तो नहीं करती?
kaccit tvāṃ nāvajānanti yājakāḥ patitaṃ yathā | ugrapratigrahītāraṃ kāmayānam iva striyaḥ ||
ナーラダは言った。「民は、汝を侮ってはいないか—清らかな祭司が堕ちた祭主を蔑み、女が欲に駆られる男を蔑むように—汝が苛酷に貢納を受け取り、過分の取り立てをする者として知られているがゆえに。」
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must avoid harsh, excessive exactions and morally suspect gain; otherwise society will despise him, just as communities reject a fallen patron of sacrifice or a lust-driven man. Legitimate revenue must be collected with restraint and dharmic propriety.
Nārada questions the ruler about public opinion and moral standing, warning that if he is known for severe or excessive taking (as an ‘ugra-pratigrahītā’), the people may treat him with contempt, using vivid social analogies to stress the danger.