Shloka 89

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

कच्चिद्‌ दण्ड्येषु यमवत्पूज्येषु च विशाम्पते । परीक्ष्य वर्तसे सम्यगप्रियेषु प्रियेषु च,महाराज! क्‍या तुम दण्डनीय अपराधियोंके प्रति यमराज और पूजनीय पुरुषोंके प्रति धर्मराजका-सा बर्ताव करते हो? प्रिय एवं अप्रिय व्यक्तियोंकी भलीभाँति परीक्षा करके ही व्यवहार करते हो न?

Transliteration

kaccid daṇḍyeṣu yamavat pūjyeṣu ca viśāmpate | parīkṣya vartase samyak apriyeṣu priyeṣu ca ||

Translation

నారదుడు పలికెను—ఓ ప్రజాధిపతీ రాజా! శిక్షార్హుల పట్ల యమునివలె, పూజ్యుల పట్ల ధర్మరాజువలె నీవు వ్యవహరిస్తున్నావా? ప్రియుల పట్లనూ అప్రియుల పట్లనూ సమ్యగ్గా పరిశీలించి తగిన విధంగా ప్రవర్తిస్తున్నావా?

Word by Word

कच्चित्whether (indeed)?

दण्ड्येषुamong/with those who are punishable

यमवत्like Yama

पूज्येषुamong/with those who are worthy of honor

चand

विशाम्of the people/subjects

पतेO lord

परीक्ष्यhaving examined

वर्तसेyou conduct yourself / you behave

सम्यक्properly, rightly

अप्रियेषुamong/with the disliked (persons)

प्रियेषुamong/with the liked (persons)

चand

महाराजO great king

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Yama

Dharmarāja

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 must be impartial: punish the punishable with Yama-like firmness, honor the worthy with Dharmarāja-like righteousness, and act only after careful examination—without bias toward favorites or against disliked persons.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada addresses the king with a series of ‘kaccit’ questions typical of counsel literature, probing whether the king’s administration of justice and distribution of honor are grounded in dharma rather than personal likes and dislikes.