Shloka 18
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
पाण्डवोंद्वारा देवर्षि नारदका पूजन कच्चिदाचरितं पूर्वर्नरदेव पितामहै: । वर्तसे वृत्तिमक्षुद्रां धर्मार्थसहितां त्रिषु,नरदेव! क्या तुम ब्राह्मण, वैश्य और शूद्र--इन तीनों वर्णोकी प्रजाओंके प्रति अपने पिता-पितामहोंद्वारा व्यवहारमें लायी हुई धर्मार्थयुक्त उत्तम एवं उदार वृत्तिका व्यवहार करते हो?
kaccid ācaritaṃ pūrvair naradeva pitāmahaiḥ | vartase vṛttim akṣudrāṃ dharmārthasahitāṃ triṣu, naradeva ||
Nārada berkata: “Wahai raja, adakah engkau memerintah—terhadap tiga golongan masyarakat (brāhmaṇa, vaiśya, dan śūdra)—dengan cara pemerintahan yang mulia dan murah hati, berasaskan dharma dan kesejahteraan praktikal, sebagaimana yang diamalkan dahulu oleh ayah dan datukmu?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should uphold a magnanimous, non-petty standard of conduct that harmonizes dharma (righteousness) with artha (public welfare and prosperity), and apply it consistently in dealings with the social orders under his protection.
The sage Nārada addresses the king with a formal, probing question, checking whether the king’s administration follows the time-tested, dharma-guided practices of his forefathers—especially in how he treats and governs the three varṇas mentioned in the contextual gloss.