Shloka 45

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

कच्चिन्नोग्रेण दण्डेन भृशमुद्धिजसे प्रजा: । राष्ट्र तवानुशासन्ति मन्त्रिणो भरतर्षभ

Transliteration

kaccin nogreṇa daṇḍena bhṛśam uddvijase prajāḥ | rāṣṭraṃ tavānuśāsanti mantriṇo bharatarṣabha ||

Translation

那罗陀说道：“婆罗多族中的雄牛啊，你是否因挥动严酷的刑杖而使臣民深受困扰？你的大臣们又是否依正当的法度与公正来治理你的国土？”

Word by Word

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

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

• उग्रेण: by harsh/terrible
• उग्रेण: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र
• Form: masculine/neuter, instrumental, singular

• दण्डेन: by punishment/rod (authority)
• दण्डेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड
• Form: masculine, instrumental, singular

• भृशम्: excessively, greatly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भृशम्

• उद्विजसे: you distress/alarm
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + विज्
• Form: present indicative, 2nd, singular, ātmanepada

• प्रजाः: the subjects/people
• प्रजाः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा
• Form: feminine, accusative, plural

• राष्ट्रम्: the kingdom/state
• राष्ट्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राष्ट्र
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• तव: of you/your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: genitive, singular

• अनुशासन्ति: they govern/discipline
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + शास्
• Form: present indicative, 3rd, plural, parasmaipada

• मन्त्रिणः: ministers/counsellors
• मन्त्रिणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्रिन्
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• भरतर्षभ: O bull among the Bharatas
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत-ऋषभ
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• bharatarṣabha (addressed king of the Bharata line)
• mantriṇaḥ (ministers)
• rāṣṭra (kingdom)
• prajāḥ (subjects)
• daṇḍa (punitive authority)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Punishment (daṇḍa) must be measured and just: a ruler should not terrorize subjects through severity, and governance should be carried out through properly guided administration, ideally with ministers upholding fair discipline.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada, in a sequence of probing questions on statecraft, asks the Bharata king whether he avoids oppressive punishment and whether his ministers are effectively and justly administering the kingdom—testing the ruler’s adherence to rajadharma.