Shloka 90

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

कच्चिच्छारीरमाबाधमौषधैर्नियमेन वा । मानसं वृद्धसेवाभि: सदा पार्थापकर्षसि

Transliteration

kaccic chārīram ābādham auṣadhair niyamena vā | mānasaṁ vṛddha-sevābhiḥ sadā pārthāpakarṣasi, kuntīkumāra |

Translation

那罗陀说道：“噢，昆蒂之子啊！你是否以药物或严谨的调摄之法，常常使身患不至侵扰？又是否以侍奉长者的善益熏陶，恒常驱散心中的忧苦？”

Word by Word

• कच्चित्: whether? (interrogative particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित्

• शारीरम्: bodily (pain/affliction) / physical
• शारीरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शारीर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आबाधम्: affliction, trouble
• आबाधम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आबाध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• औषधैः: by medicines
• औषधैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: औषध
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• नियमेन: by regimen/discipline
• नियमेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नियम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• मानसम्: mental (pain/affliction) / of the mind
• मानसम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानस
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वृद्धसेवाभिः: by service to elders
• वृद्धसेवाभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्धसेवा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Plural

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• पार्थ: O son of Pritha (Arjuna)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• अपकर्षसि: do you remove/drive away
• Type: Verb
• Root: अपकृष्
• Form: Present, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• कुन्तीकुमार: O son of Kunti
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुन्तीकुमार
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Kuntī
• Pārtha (a son of Kuntī / Pāṇḍava addressee)
• elders (vṛddhāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler (or disciplined person) should safeguard both body and mind: physical suffering is managed through proper remedies and regulated habits, while mental suffering is eased through sat-saṅga expressed here as humble service to elders—an ethical practice that cultivates steadiness, humility, and good judgment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada addresses a son of Kuntī (Pārtha), asking after his welfare in a pointed, dharma-oriented way: whether he is maintaining health through medicine and regimen, and maintaining mental balance through respectful association and service to venerable elders.