Shloka 78
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
कच्चिद् राष्ट्र तडागानि पूर्णानि च बृहन्ति च । भागशो विनिविष्टानि न कृषिर्देवमातृका,क्या तुम्हारे राज्यके सभी भागोंमें जलसे भरे हुए बड़े-बड़े तालाब बनवाये गये हैं? केवल वर्षाके पानीके भरोसे ही तो खेती नहीं होती है?
kaccid rāṣṭra-taḍāgāni pūrṇāni ca bṛhanti ca | bhāgaśo viniviṣṭāni na kṛṣir devamātṛkā ||
那罗陀说道：“告诉我——你的国中各地，可曾修筑巨大的水库与池塘，使之蓄水充盈，并按诸方地域妥善分布？因为农事不应只凭天雨；一国之富庶，系于有谋的灌溉与远见。”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s dharma includes proactive public works: ensuring water storage and irrigation across the realm so that farming and livelihoods are not precariously dependent on rainfall. Good governance is measured by foresight, equitable distribution of resources, and protection from predictable scarcity.
Nārada is questioning the ruler about the condition of the kingdom. This verse is part of a welfare-audit: he asks whether large, well-sited water tanks exist in all regions, emphasizing that agriculture should not rely only on rain.