Shloka 89
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चिद् दण्ड्येषु यमवत्पूज्येषु च विशाम्पते । परीक्ष्य वर्तसे सम्यगप्रियेषु प्रियेषु च
kaccid daṇḍyeṣu yamavat pūjyeṣu ca viśāmpate | parīkṣya vartase samyak apriyeṣu priyeṣu ca ||
ナーラダは言った。「おお民の主よ、罰せらるべき者には閻魔のごとく対し、敬われるべき者には法王（ダルマラージャ）のごとく遇しているか。さらに、愛する者にも憎む者にも、よく吟味したうえでこそ正しく振る舞っているか。」
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must be impartial: punish the punishable with Yama-like firmness, honor the worthy with Dharmarāja-like righteousness, and act only after careful examination—without bias toward favorites or against disliked persons.
Nārada addresses the king with a series of ‘kaccit’ questions typical of counsel literature, probing whether the king’s administration of justice and distribution of honor are grounded in dharma rather than personal likes and dislikes.