Shloka 23
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चित् प्रकृतय: सप्त न लुप्ता भरतर्षभ । आद्यास्तथा व्यसनिन: स्वनुरक्ताश्व सर्वश:,भरतश्रेष्ठ! तुम्हारी मन््त्री आदि सातः प्रकृतियाँ कहीं शत्रुओंमें मिल तो नहीं गयी हैं? तुम्हारे राज्यके धनीलोग बुरे व्यसनोंसे बचे रहकर सर्वथा तुमसे प्रेम करते हैं न?
kaccit prakṛtayaḥ sapta na luptā bharatarṣabha | ādyās tathā vyasaninaḥ svanuraktāś ca sarvaśaḥ ||
Nārada berkata: “Wahai banteng di antara kaum Bhārata, adakah tujuh tonggak asas kerajaanmu masih utuh—tidak dilemahkan atau dipalingkan oleh musuh? Dan adakah orang-orang terkemuka—para menteri serta rakyat utama—bebas daripada ketagihan yang membawa kebinasaan, serta dalam segala hal tetap setia dan berbakti kepadamu?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must safeguard the essential pillars of the state from enemy influence and internal decay, and must ensure that key officials and leading subjects remain disciplined—especially free from destructive vices—so that loyalty and good governance are preserved.
Nārada interrogates the king with probing questions about the health of his administration: whether the kingdom’s core supports are secure and whether ministers and prominent people are morally steady and loyal, implying that political stability depends on both institutional integrity and personal self-control.