Shloka 28
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चित् संवृतमन्त्रैस्तैरमात्यै: शास्त्रकोविदै: । राष्ट्र सुरक्षितं तात शत्रुभिर्न विलुप्यते
kaccit saṁvṛtamantrais tair amātyaiḥ śāstrakovidaiḥ | rāṣṭraṁ surakṣitaṁ tāta śatrubhir na vilupyate tāta ||
那罗陀说道：“孩子啊，你的国土是否由那些严守机密、精通治国典籍的大臣妥善守护？它是否安稳，使敌人不能掠夺，亦不能使之走向毁灭？”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Effective kingship depends on competent ministers who are both learned in governance (śāstra) and disciplined in confidentiality; secrecy in counsel and administrative expertise are presented as ethical necessities for protecting the realm from external harm.
Nārada, inquiring into the condition of the ruler’s administration, asks whether the kingdom is being safeguarded by trustworthy, learned ministers who keep strategic deliberations secret, and whether enemies are failing to damage or plunder the state.