Shloka 90
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चिच्छारीरमाबाधमौषधैर्नियमेन वा । मानसं वृद्धसेवाभि: सदा पार्थापकर्षसि,कुन्तीकुमार! क्या तुम ओषधिसेवन या पथ्य-भोजन आदि नियमोंके पालनद्वारा अपने शारीरिक कष्टको तथा वृद्ध पुरुषोंकी सेवारूप सत्संगद्वारा मानसिक संतापको सदा दूर करते रहते हो?
kaccic chārīram ābādham auṣadhair niyamena vā | mānasaṁ vṛddha-sevābhiḥ sadā pārthāpakarṣasi, kuntīkumāra |
Nārada berkata: “Wahai putera Kuntī, adakah engkau sentiasa menangkis penderitaan jasmani dengan ubat-ubatan atau dengan disiplin dan aturan hidup? Dan demikian juga, adakah engkau menghalau kesedihan batin melalui pengaruh baik daripada berkhidmat kepada para tua-tua?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler (or disciplined person) should safeguard both body and mind: physical suffering is managed through proper remedies and regulated habits, while mental suffering is eased through sat-saṅga expressed here as humble service to elders—an ethical practice that cultivates steadiness, humility, and good judgment.
Nārada addresses a son of Kuntī (Pārtha), asking after his welfare in a pointed, dharma-oriented way: whether he is maintaining health through medicine and regimen, and maintaining mental balance through respectful association and service to venerable elders.