Shloka 68

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

कच्चित्‌ कोषश्न कोष्ठं च वाहनं द्वारमायुधम्‌ । आयश्व कृतकल्याणैस्तव भक्तैरनुछित:,तुम्हारे कल्याणके लिये सदा प्रयत्नशील रहनेवाले, स्वामिभक्त मनुष्योंद्वारा ही तुम्हारे धन-भण्डार, अन्न-भण्डार, वाहन, प्रधान द्वार, अस्त्र-शस्त्र तथा आयके साधनोंकी रक्षा एवं देख-भाल की जाती है न?

Transliteration

kaccit kośaś ca koṣṭhaṁ ca vāhanaṁ dvāram āyudham | āyaś ca kṛtakalyāṇais tava bhaktair anucitaiḥ ||

Translation

نارد نے کہا—کیا تمہاری بھلائی کے لیے ہمہ وقت کوشاں، اپنے آقا کے وفادار خادم ہی تمہارے خزانے، غلے کے گودام، سواریوں، مرکزی دروازے، ہتھیاروں اور آمدنی کے ذرائع کی مسلسل حفاظت اور نگرانی کرتے ہیں؟

Word by Word

कच्चित्whether indeed? (I hope)

कोषःtreasury

नnot

कोष्ठम्granary/storehouse

चand

वाहनम्vehicle/transport

द्वारम्gate/door

आयुधम्weapon/arms

आयश्चincome/revenue (and)

कृतकल्याणैःby those who have done good / well-disposed

तवof you/your

भक्तैःby devoted (servants)

अनुचितःproper/appropriate (i.e., duly arranged/guarded)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

treasury (kośa)

granary/storehouse (koṣṭha)

vehicles (vāhana)

principal gate (dvāra)

weapons/arms (āyudha)

revenue sources (āya)

loyal attendants/retainers (bhaktāḥ anucitāḥ)

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 prosperity and stability depend on vigilant protection and honest management of key state assets—wealth, provisions, transport, gates, arms, and revenue—entrusted to loyal, welfare-minded retainers rather than unreliable or self-serving agents.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada continues a sequence of ‘kaccit’ inquiries to assess the king’s governance, asking whether essential resources and security points of the realm are being safeguarded and supervised by devoted, trustworthy attendants.