Shloka 44

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

अमात्यानुपधातीतान्‌ पितृपैतामहाञ्छुचीन्‌ । श्रेष्ठाउ्छेछ्वेषु कच्चित्‌ त्वं नियोजयसि कर्मसु,क्या तुम निश्छल, बाप-दादोंके क्रमसे चले आये हुए और पवित्र आचार- विचारवाले श्रेष्ठ मन्त्रियोंको सदा श्रेष्ठ कर्मोमें लगाये रखते हो?

Transliteration

amātyān upadhātītān pitṛpaitāmahān śucīn | śreṣṭhān ucchveṣv eva kaccit tvaṁ niyojayasi karmasu ||

Translation

ນາຣະດະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ພະຣາຊາ, ທ່ານໄດ້ແຕ່ງຕັ້ງບັນດາມົນຕີຜູ້ບໍ່ຄົດລະບາດ ບໍ່ມີກົນລະຍຸດ—ເປັນຜູ້ມີກຽດຕາມສາຍບັນພະບຸລຸດ ແລະມີຄວາມປະພຶດບໍລິສຸດ—ໃຫ້ປະຕິບັດໜ້າທີ່ຂອງເຂົາ ເພື່ອໃຫ້ຜູ້ດີທີ່ສຸດໃນພວກເຂົາ ໄດ້ຮັບມອບໝາຍວຽກອັນສູງສຸດ ແລະສົມຄວນທີ່ສຸດຢູ່ເສມອບໍ?»

Word by Word

अमात्यान्ministers

उपधातीतान्free from deceit/treachery (having gone beyond guile)

पितृपैतामहान्ancestral (from fathers and grandfathers)

शुचीन्pure, upright

श्रेष्ठान्excellent, best

उत्सहेषुin undertakings/enterprises

कच्चित्surely? I hope (interrogative particle)

त्वम्you

नियोजयसिyou appoint/engage

कर्मसुin duties/works

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

amātya (ministers)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler’s dharma includes selecting and employing ministers who are morally pure and free from corrupt influence, and assigning the most capable to the most important state duties.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada, in a sequence of probing questions on kingship, asks whether the king properly appoints trustworthy, ancestrally reputable, and upright ministers to appropriate and higher responsibilities.