Shloka 17
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
नारद उवाच कच्चिदर्थाक्ष कल्पन्ते धर्मे च रमते मन: । सुखानि चानुभूयन्ते मनश्न न विहन्यते
nārada uvāca | kaccid arthākṣāḥ kalpante dharme ca ramate manaḥ | sukhāni cānubhūyante manaś ca na vihanyate ||
那罗陀说：“大王，你的资财可足以承担人生所必需之事——祭祀、布施，以及护持与供养家族——吗？你的心是否乐于正法（dharma）？你是否得享所求的安乐与舒适？而你那专注于正思惟的心，是否不为纷扰的冲动所伤、不为杂念所扰？”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s well-being is measured not only by wealth and pleasure but by whether resources are rightly used for obligatory duties (yajña, dāna, protection), whether the mind delights in dharma, and whether inner stability is maintained without distraction.
Narada addresses the king with a traditional set of welfare-questions: he inquires about the adequacy of the king’s resources, his commitment to dharma, his experience of legitimate enjoyments, and the steadiness of his mind—testing both external governance and inner self-governance.