Shloka 115

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच कच्चिदभ्यागता दूराद्‌ वणिजो लाभकारणात्‌ । यथोक्तमवहार्यन्ते शुल्क शुल्कोपजीविभि:,नारदजीने पूछा--राजन्‌! कर वसूलनेका काम करनेवाले तुम्हारे कर्मचारीलोग दूरसे लाभ उठानेके लिये आये हुए व्यापारियोंसे ठीक-ठीक कर वसूल करते हैं न? (अधिक तो नहीं लेते?)

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | kaccid abhyāgatā dūrād vaṇijo lābhakāraṇāt | yathoktam avahāryante śulka-śulkopajīvibhiḥ ||

Translation

नारद उवाच—कच्चिदभ्यागता दूराद् वणिजो लाभकारणात् । यथोक्तमवहार्यन्ते शुल्कं शुल्कोपजीविभिः ॥

Word by Word

नारदःNarada

उवाचsaid

कच्चित्whether (I wonder), surely?

अभ्यागताःarrived, come

दूरात्from afar

वणिजःmerchants

लाभकारणात्for the sake/cause of profit

यथाas, according to

उक्तम्as stated, as prescribed

अवहार्यन्तेare taken/collected (as dues)

शुल्कम्toll, tax, duty

शुल्कोपजीविभिःby those who live on/are employed in tax-collection

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

King (rājan)

Merchants (vaṇijaḥ)

Tax/toll collectors (śulka-upajīvinaḥ)

Customs/tolls (śulka)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler’s dharma includes ensuring fair, rule-bound taxation: revenue officers must collect only what is prescribed, avoiding exploitation of merchants and preventing corruption that harms prosperity and trust.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada continues his set of welfare-questions to the king, probing the health of the realm by asking whether trade is flourishing and whether customs officials levy duties properly rather than overcharging merchants.