Shloka 51

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

कच्चित्‌ सर्वेडनुरक्तास्त्वां कुलपुत्रा: प्रधानत: । कच्चित्‌ प्राणांस्तवार्थेषु संत्यजन्ति सदा युधि,क्या उत्तम कुलमें उत्पन्न मन्‍्त्री आदि सभी प्रधान अधिकारी तुमसे प्रेम रखते हैं? क्या वे युद्धमें तुम्हारे हितके लिये अपने प्राणोंतकका त्याग करनेको सदा तैयार रहते हैं?

Transliteration

kaccit sarve 'nuraktās tvāṁ kulaputrāḥ pradhānataḥ | kaccit prāṇāṁs tavārtheṣu saṁtyajanti sadā yudhi ||

Translation

ನಾರದನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಉತ್ತಮ ಕುಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಜನಿಸಿದ ನಿನ್ನ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಪ್ರಮುಖರು ನಿಜವಾಗಿಯೂ ನಿನಗೆ ಅನುರಕ್ತರಾಗಿದ್ದಾರೆಯೇ? ಮತ್ತು ಯುದ್ಧದಲ್ಲಿ ನಿನ್ನ ಹಿತಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಅವರು ಸದಾ ಪ್ರಾಣವನ್ನೂ ತ್ಯಜಿಸಲು ಸಿದ್ಧರಾಗಿರುವರೇ?

Word by Word

कच्चित्whether? (I hope)

सर्वेall

अनुरक्ताःattached, devoted

त्वाम्you

कुलपुत्राःsons of noble families, nobles

प्रधानतःchiefly, especially

कच्चित्whether? (I hope)

प्राणान्lives, vital breaths

तवof you, your

अर्थेषुin (your) interests, for (your) purposes

सन्त्यजन्तिthey abandon, they give up

सदाalways

युधिin battle

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

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?

The verse frames a ruler’s ethical test: true governance depends not only on power but on earned loyalty—especially of the principal nobles and officials—so that they willingly uphold the king’s cause even at the cost of life in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada continues a sequence of ‘kaccit’ welfare-questions to the king, probing the stability of his realm by asking whether the foremost men around him are genuinely devoted and ready to sacrifice themselves for his objectives in battle.