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

Nārada nói: “Ta tin rằng kho tàng và kho lương của bệ hạ, xe cộ, cổng chính, vũ khí, cùng mọi nguồn thu đều được canh giữ và quản trị đúng phép chỉ bởi những kẻ hầu trung thành—những người tận tụy với chủ và luôn một lòng vì phúc lợi của bệ hạ chăng?”

Word by Word

• कच्चित्: whether indeed? (I hope)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित्

• कोषः: treasury
• कोषः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• कोष्ठम्: granary/storehouse
• कोष्ठम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोष्ठ
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• वाहनम्: vehicle/transport
• वाहनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाहन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• द्वारम्: gate/door
• द्वारम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वार
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• आयुधम्: weapon/arms
• आयुधम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुध
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• आयश्च: income/revenue (and)
• आयश्च: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कृतकल्याणैः: by those who have done good / well-disposed
• कृतकल्याणैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतकल्याण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• तव: of you/your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• भक्तैः: by devoted (servants)
• भक्तैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अनुचितः: proper/appropriate (i.e., duly arranged/guarded)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुचित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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)

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.