Shloka 52

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

कच्चिनैको बहूनर्थान्‌ सर्वशः साम्परायिकान्‌ । अनुशास्ति यथाकामं कामात्मा शासनातिग:,तुम्हारे कर्मचारियोंमें कोई ऐसा तो नहीं है, जो अपनी इच्छाके अनुसार चलनेवाला और तुम्हारे शासनका उल्लंघन करनेवाला हो तथा युद्धके सारे साधनों एवं कार्योंकोी अकेला ही अपनी रुचिके अनुसार चला रहा हो?

Transliteration

kaccin naiko bahūn arthān sarvaśaḥ sāmparāyikān | anuśāsti yathākāmaṃ kāmātmā śāsanātigaḥ ||

Translation

那罗陀说道：“你的官员之中，是否确无一人——为私欲所驱，逾越你的权柄——竟自作主张，随其所好统摄国中诸多事务，乃至关乎战争与国家终极安危之事？”

Word by Word

• कच्चित्: whether?, I hope
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित्

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

• एकः: one (person)
• एकः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बहून्: many
• बहून्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अर्थान्: matters; affairs; purposes
• अर्थान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• सर्वशः: entirely; in every way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशः

• साम्परायिकान्: pertaining to the future/other world; consequential (esp. afterlife-related)
• साम्परायिकान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साम्परायिक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अनुशास्ति: instructs; governs; directs
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-शास्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• यथा: as; according to
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• कामम्: desire; wish (i.e., as he wishes)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कामात्मा: one whose nature is desire; self-willed
• कामात्मा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कामात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शासनातिगः: one who transgresses authority/commands
• शासनातिगः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शासनातिग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king must prevent concentration of power in a single, desire-driven official who acts beyond lawful command; effective rule requires oversight, disciplined administration, and control of war-related and high-stakes state affairs.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada, in a sequence of probing questions on kingship, tests whether the ruler’s administration is sound—specifically whether any one employee/minister is independently running major affairs according to personal whim while disregarding royal authority.