Shloka 98

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

कच्चिद्‌ धर्मे त्रयीमूले पूर्वराचरिते जनै: । यतमानस्तथा कर्तु तस्मिन्‌ कर्मणि वर्तसे

Transliteration

kaccid dharme trayīmūle pūrvarācarite janaiḥ | yatamānas tathā kartu tasmin karmaṇi vartase ||

Translation

ナーラダは言った。「三つのヴェーダを根とし、古の人々が行じてきたそのダルマを、汝は守り行おうと努めているか。祖先のごとく成し遂げんとして、まさにその業—ダルマにかなう行い—に身を置き続けているか。」

Word by Word

• कच्चित्: whether (indeed)? / I hope
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित्

• धर्मे: in dharma / in righteousness
• धर्मे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• त्रयी-मूले: having the three Vedas as its root
• त्रयी-मूले: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रयी-मूल
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• पूर्व-आचरिते: practised earlier (by predecessors)
• पूर्व-आचरिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व-आचरित
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• जनैः: by people
• जनैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• यतमानः: striving / making effort
• यतमानः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: यतमान
• Form: Present (participle), Singular, Masculine, Nominative

• तथा: thus / in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• कर्तुम्: to do / to perform
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Infinitive

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• कर्मणि: in the act / in the duty
• कर्मणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• वर्तसे: you conduct yourself / you are engaged
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत्
• Form: Present, Second, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• three Vedas (trayī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma should be grounded in the Vedas (trayī) and verified through the tested conduct of the wise and the ancients; one should actively strive to live by such dharma in one’s actions.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is examining the addressee’s moral and administrative integrity by asking whether he is earnestly engaged in Veda-rooted, traditionally practiced dharma—an evaluative question typical of counsel to rulers.