Shloka 40

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

कच्चिद्‌ विनयसम्पन्न: कुलपुत्रो बहुश्रुतः । अनसूयुरनुप्रष्टा सत्कृतस्ते पुरोहित:,क्या तुम्हारे पुरोहित विनयशील, कुलीन, बहुज्ञ, विद्वान, दोषदृष्टिसे रहित तथा शास्त्रचर्चामें कुशल हैं? क्या तुम उनका पूर्ण सत्कार करते हो?

Transliteration

kaccid vinayasampannaḥ kulaputro bahuśrutaḥ | anasūyur anupraṣṭā satkṛtas te purohitaḥ ||

Translation

Nārada bertanya: “Adakah purohita tuanku terlatih dalam kerendahan hati dan disiplin, berasal daripada keturunan yang baik, serta luas ilmunya? Adakah dia bebas daripada tabiat mencari-cari salah dan mampu bertanya serta menimbang dengan tepat dalam hal pengajian suci? Dan adakah tuanku memuliakannya dengan penghormatan yang sewajarnya?”

Word by Word

कच्चित्whether? (I hope/indeed?)

विनयसम्पन्नःendowed with humility/discipline

कुलपुत्रःa well-born man (son of a good family)

बहुश्रुतःwell-learned, much-heard (erudite)

अनसूयुःfree from envy/carping

अनुप्रष्टाone who inquires appropriately (questioner)

सत्कृतःhonoured, well-treated

तेof you/your

पुरोहितःhouse-priest, chaplain

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Narada

purohita (royal chaplain/priest)

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?

A ruler’s dharma is strengthened by keeping a learned, humble, non-censorious purohita and by honoring him. Ethical governance requires disciplined scholarship, constructive inquiry, and respect for principled counsel.

What is happening in the narrative?

Narada, in a sequence of diagnostic questions about good rule and household order, asks whether the king maintains a qualified royal priest-adviser and treats him with proper honor—implying that neglect of such guidance harms dharma and statecraft.