Shloka 52

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

कच्चिनैको बहूनर्थान्‌ सर्वशः साम्परायिकान्‌ । अनुशास्ति यथाकामं कामात्मा शासनातिग:

Transliteration

kaccin naiko bahūn arthān sarvaśaḥ sāmparāyikān | anuśāsti yathākāmaṃ kāmātmā śāsanātigaḥ ||

Translation

Нарада сказал: «Не случилось ли так, что среди твоих сановников нет ни одного — ведомого личной страстью и попирающего твою власть, — кто бы самовольно взялся по своему усмотрению распоряжаться многими делами царства, включая то, что касается войны и конечной безопасности государства?»

Word by Word

• कच्चित्: whether?, I hope
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित्

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• एकः: one (person)
• एकः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बहून्: many
• बहून्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अर्थान्: matters; affairs; purposes
• अर्थान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• सर्वशः: entirely; in every way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशः

• साम्परायिकान्: pertaining to the future/other world; consequential (esp. afterlife-related)
• साम्परायिकान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साम्परायिक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अनुशास्ति: instructs; governs; directs
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-शास्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• यथा: as; according to
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• कामम्: desire; wish (i.e., as he wishes)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कामात्मा: one whose nature is desire; self-willed
• कामात्मा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कामात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शासनातिगः: one who transgresses authority/commands
• शासनातिगः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शासनातिग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king must prevent concentration of power in a single, desire-driven official who acts beyond lawful command; effective rule requires oversight, disciplined administration, and control of war-related and high-stakes state affairs.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada, in a sequence of probing questions on kingship, tests whether the ruler’s administration is sound—specifically whether any one employee/minister is independently running major affairs according to personal whim while disregarding royal authority.