# Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 94 — Rāma questions Bharata’s governance *He asks after the family, advisers, spies, troop provisions, water, revenue and impartial justice, still unaware of Daśaratha’s death* Portion: The reunion and mourning for Daśaratha · Verses: 59 · Ref format: 2.94. ## Sequence - Rāma kisses Bharata's head, draws him close, and asks why he has left their father to come to the forest looking so distressed (94.1–3) - still unaware of Daśaratha's death, he asks after him, the mothers, the priests, and their teachers (94.4–9) - he asks whether Bharata consults capable ministers, keeps counsel confidential, makes decisions promptly, and avoids both solitary judgment and overlarge councils (94.10–16) - he stresses the value of a single wise adviser over many incapable ones (94.17–19) - he asks about trustworthy appointments, military leadership, treatment of officers, and timely food and pay for troops (94.20–27) - he asks about loyal supporters, capable envoys, and intelligence gathered through three unrecognized spies for each of eighteen enemy officials and fifteen of Bharata's own → he warns against underestimating defeated enemies who return, and against relying on teachers of materialist reasoning whom he considers misleading (94.28–33). - Rāma then asks whether the city and countryside are secure, farmers and herdsmen protected, water available, and grievances addressed (94.34–41) - he asks about the royal household, elephant forests, fort supplies, revenue, spending, and impartial justice → innocent people must not be convicted for money, nor guilty people released through bribery (94.42–50) - he asks whether the young, old, physicians, guests, and religious communities receive care and respect → he warns against falsehood, anger, negligence, laziness, and other failures of rule, and reminds Bharata to share his comforts rather than enjoy them alone (94.51–59). ## Verses **2.94.1** āghrāya rāmas taṃ mūrdhni pariṣvajya ca rāghavaḥ aṅke bharatam āropya paryapṛcchat samāhitaḥ Having kissed Bharata upon his head and embraced him, Rāghava Rāma set him upon his lap and, composed, questioned him. **2.94.2** kva nu te 'bhūt pitā tāta yad araṇyaṃ tvam āgataḥ na hi tvaṃ jīvatas tasya vanam āgantum arhasi “Where indeed was your father, dear one, that you have come to the forest? For while he lives you ought not to come to the woods. **2.94.3** cirasya bata paśyāmi dūrād bharatam āgatam duṣpratīkam araṇye 'smin kiṃ tāta vanam āgataḥ After a long while, alas, I behold Bharata come from afar, sad of aspect, into this forest — why, dear one, have you come to the woods? **2.94.4** kaccid daśaratho rājā kuśalī satyasaṃgaraḥ rājasūyāśvamedhānām āhartā dharmaniścayaḥ Is King Daśaratha well — he true to his word, performer of the rājasūya and aśvamedha sacrifices, firm in dharma? **2.94.5** sa kaccid brāhmaṇo vidvān dharmanityo mahādyutiḥ ikṣvākūṇām upādhyāyo yathāvat tāta pūjyate Is that learned brāhmaṇa — ever devoted to dharma, of great splendor, the preceptor of the Ikṣvākus — duly honored, dear one? **2.94.6** tāta kaccic ca kausalyā sumitrā ca prajāvatī sukhinī kaccid āryā ca devī nandati kaikayī And, dear one, are Kausalyā and Sumitrā, blessed with offspring, happy? And does the noble queen Kaikeyī rejoice? **2.94.7** kaccid vinaya saṃpannaḥ kulaputro bahuśrutaḥ anasūyur anudraṣṭā satkṛtas te purohitaḥ Is your family priest — endowed with good conduct, of noble birth, deeply learned, free from envy, and discerning — duly honored? **2.94.8** kaccid agniṣu te yukto vidhijño matimān ṛjuḥ hutaṃ ca hoṣyamāṇaṃ ca kāle vedayate sadā Is the one set over your sacred fires — knowing the rites, wise, upright — always informing you in time of what has been offered and what is yet to be offered? **2.94.9** iṣvastravarasaṃpannam arthaśāstraviśāradam sudhanvānam upādhyāyaṃ kaccit tvaṃ tāta manyase Do you, dear one, esteem your preceptor Sudhanvan, master of the finest archery and weaponry, and skilled in the science of statecraft? **2.94.10** kaccid ātma samāḥ śūrāḥ śrutavanto jitendriyāḥ kulīnāś ceṅgitajñāś ca kṛtās te tāta mantriṇaḥ Are your ministers made men like yourself — brave, learned, self-controlled, of noble birth, and skilled in reading gestures, dear one? **2.94.11** mantro vijayamūlaṃ hi rājñāṃ bhavati rāghava susaṃvṛto mantradharair amātyaiḥ śāstrakovidaiḥ For counsel, well guarded by counsel-keeping ministers versed in the śāstras, becomes the root of victory for kings, O Rāghava. **2.94.12** kaccin nidrāvaśaṃ naiṣi kaccit kāle vibudhyase kac ciṃś cāpararātriṣu cintayasy arthanaipuṇam Do you not fall under the sway of sleep? Do you wake at the proper hour? And in the last watches of the night do you ponder what is expedient in affairs? **2.94.13** kaccin mantrayase naikaḥ kaccin na bahubhiḥ saha kaccit te mantrito mantro rāṣṭraṃ na paridhāvati Do you not deliberate alone, nor yet with too many? Does the counsel you have resolved not leak out over the kingdom? **2.94.14** kaccid arthaṃ viniścitya laghumūlaṃ mahodayam kṣipram ārabhase kartuṃ na dīrghayasi rāghava Having settled on an undertaking of small outlay and great result, do you set about it quickly and not drag it out, O Rāghava? **2.94.15** kaccit tu sukṛtāny eva kṛtarūpāṇi vā punaḥ vidus te sarvakāryāṇi na kartavyāni pārthivāḥ Do rival kings come to know your undertakings only when they are already well accomplished, or at least as good as done — and never while still to be done? **2.94.16** kaccin na tarkair yuktvā vā ye cāpy aparikīrtitāḥ tvayā vā tava vāmātyair budhyate tāta mantritam Is your resolved counsel never found out by others through mere conjecture, nor through matters left unproclaimed by you or by your ministers, dear one? **2.94.17** kaccit sahasrān mūrkhāṇām ekam icchasi paṇḍitam paṇḍito hy arthakṛcchreṣu kuryān niḥśreyasaṃ mahat Do you prefer one learned man to a thousand fools? For in times of dire need a learned man can accomplish great good. **2.94.18** sahasrāṇy api mūrkhāṇāṃ yady upāste mahīpatiḥ atha vāpy ayutāny eva nāsti teṣu sahāyatā Even if a king should retain thousands of fools, or even tens of thousands, there is no help to be had in them. **2.94.19** eko 'py amātyo medhāvī śūro dakṣo vicakṣaṇaḥ rājānaṃ rājamātraṃ vā prāpayen mahatīṃ śriyam Even a single minister who is wise, brave, capable, and discerning can bring a king, or a king's deputy, to great fortune. **2.94.20** kaccin mukhyā mahatsv eva madhyameṣu ca madhyamāḥ jaghanyāś ca jaghanyeṣu bhṛtyāḥ karmasu yojitāḥ Are your servants set to their tasks by rank — the highest in high offices, the middling in middling ones, and the lowest in lowly ones? **2.94.21** amātyān upadhātītān pitṛpaitāmahāñ śucīn śreṣṭhāñ śreṣṭheṣu kaccit tvaṃ niyojayasi karmasu Do you appoint to the highest offices ministers who have passed the tests of integrity, inherited from your fathers and grandfathers, pure, and the best in the best of tasks? **2.94.22** kaccit tvāṃ nāvajānanti yājakāḥ patitaṃ yathā ugrapratigrahītāraṃ kāmayānam iva striyaḥ Do your people not despise you, as officiating priests despise a fallen man, or as women despise a fierce, rapacious lecher? **2.94.23** upāyakuśalaṃ vaidyaṃ bhṛtyasaṃdūṣaṇe ratam śūram aiśvaryakāmaṃ ca yo na hanti sa vadhyate Whoever fails to strike down a physician cunning in stratagems who is bent on corrupting his servants, and a bold man greedy for power, is himself struck down. **2.94.24** kaccid dhṛṣṭaś ca śūraś ca dhṛtimān matimāñ śuciḥ kulīnaś cānuraktaś ca dakṣaḥ senāpatiḥ kṛtaḥ Is your commander-in-chief a man made bold and brave, steadfast, wise, pure, of noble birth, devoted, and capable? **2.94.25** balavantaś ca kaccit te mukhyā yuddhaviśāradāḥ dṛṣṭāpadānā vikrāntās tvayā satkṛtya mānitāḥ And are your chief warriors — strong, skilled in battle, of proven exploits and valorous — duly honored and respected by you? **2.94.26** ka cid balasya bhaktaṃ ca vetanaṃ ca yathocitam saṃprāptakālaṃ dātavyaṃ dadāsi na vilambase Do you give the army its due rations and pay, as befitting, when the time for it has come, and not delay? **2.94.27** kālātikramaṇe hy eva bhakta vetanayor bhṛtāḥ bhartuḥ kupyanti duṣyanti so 'narthaḥ sumahān smṛtaḥ For when the time for their rations and pay is overstepped, hired men grow enraged with their master and turn disloyal; that is reckoned a very great calamity. **2.94.28** kaccit sarve 'nuraktās tvāṃ kulaputrāḥ pradhānataḥ kaccit prāṇāṃs tavārtheṣu saṃtyajanti samāhitāḥ Are all the noble-born chiefly devoted to you? Do they, resolute, lay down their very lives in your cause? **2.94.29** kaccij jānapado vidvān dakṣiṇaḥ pratibhānavān yathoktavādī dūtas te kṛto bharata paṇḍitaḥ Is your envoy made a man of the realm, learned, dexterous, quick-witted, reporting exactly as instructed, and wise, O Bharata? **2.94.30** kaccid aṣṭādaśāny eṣu svapakṣe daśa pañca ca tribhis tribhir avijñātair vetsi tīrthāni cārakaiḥ Do you keep watch, through three unknown spies for each, on the eighteen high officials of the foe and the fifteen on your own side? **2.94.31** kaccid vyapāstān ahitān pratiyātāṃś ca sarvadā durbalān anavajñāya vartase ripusūdana O slayer of foes, do you always deal with your driven-off enemies who have returned without underestimating them, weak though they be? **2.94.32** kaccin na lokāyatikān brāhmaṇāṃs tāta sevase anartha kuśalā hy ete bālāḥ paṇḍitamāninaḥ Do you not, dear one, resort to brāhmaṇas of the materialist school? For these are adept only at mischief — mere fools who fancy themselves learned. **2.94.33** dharmaśāstreṣu mukhyeṣu vidyamāneṣu durbudhāḥ buddhimān vīkṣikīṃ prāpya nirarthaṃ pravadanti te Though the principal treatises on dharma are at hand, those dull-witted men — each fancying himself wise — resort to bare logic and prate to no purpose. **2.94.34** vīrair adhyuṣitāṃ pūrvam asmākaṃ tāta pūrvakaiḥ satyanāmāṃ dṛḍhadvārāṃ hastyaśvarathasaṃkulām Do you well protect Ayodhyā — inhabited of old by our heroic forebears, dear one, true to its name, with sturdy gates, thronged with elephants, horses, and chariots, **2.94.35** brāhmaṇaiḥ kṣatriyair vaiśyaiḥ svakarmanirataiḥ sadā jitendriyair mahotsāhair vṛtāmātyaiḥ sahasraśaḥ filled with brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, and vaiśyas ever devoted to their own duties, self-controlled and of great energy, and thronged by ministers in their thousands, **2.94.36** prāsādair vividhākārair vṛtāṃ vaidyajanākulām kaccit samuditāṃ sphītām ayodhyāṃ parirakṣasi girt with palaces of every kind and thronged with learned folk — do you protect Ayodhyā well, prosperous and flourishing? **2.94.37** kaccic caityaśatair juṣṭaḥ suniviṣṭajanākulaḥ devasthānaiḥ prapābhiś ca taḍāgaiś copaśobhitaḥ Is the realm graced with hundreds of shrines, crowded with well-settled folk, and adorned with temples, water-halls, and tanks, **2.94.38** prahṛṣṭanaranārīkaḥ samājotsavaśobhitaḥ sukṛṣṭasīmā paśumān hiṃsābhir abhivarjitaḥ with its men and women full of joy, resplendent with assemblies and festivals, its fields well tilled, rich in cattle, free from acts of violence, **2.94.39** adevamātṛko ramyaḥ śvāpadaiḥ parivarjitaḥ kaccij janapadaḥ sphītaḥ sukhaṃ vasati rāghava not dependent on rain alone, delightful, and free of beasts of prey — does your thriving realm, O Rāghava, dwell in happiness? **2.94.40** kaccit te dayitāḥ sarve kṛṣigorakṣajīvinaḥ vārtāyāṃ saṃśritas tāta loko hi sukham edhate Are all those who live by farming and cattle-keeping dear to you? For the people who depend on husbandry, dear one, thrive in happiness. **2.94.41** teṣāṃ guptiparīhāraiḥ kaccit te bharaṇaṃ kṛtam rakṣyā hi rājñā dharmeṇa sarve viṣayavāsinaḥ Do you provide for their upkeep by protection and the redress of grievances? For all who dwell in the realm must be protected by the king according to dharma. **2.94.42** kaccit striyaḥ sāntvayasi kaccit tāś ca surakṣitāḥ kaccin na śraddadhāsyāsāṃ kaccid guhyaṃ na bhāṣase Do you comfort the women of your household? Are they well protected? Do you not put excessive trust in them, nor tell them a secret? **2.94.43** kaccin nāga vanaṃ guptaṃ kuñjarāṇaṃ ca tṛpyasi kaccid darśayase nityaṃ manuṣyāṇāṃ vibhūṣitam utthāyotthāya pūrvāhṇe rājaputro mahāpathe Is the elephant-forest well guarded, and are you satisfied with your supply of elephants? Do you, a prince, constantly show yourself adorned to the people upon the great highway, rising early each morning? **2.94.44** kaccit sarvāṇi durgāṇi dhanadhānyāyudhodakaiḥ yantraiś ca paripūrṇāni tathā śilpidhanurdharaiḥ Are all your fortresses well stocked with money, grain, weapons, and water, with engines of war, and likewise with artisans and archers? **2.94.45** āyas te vipulaḥ kaccit kaccid alpataro vyayaḥ apātreṣu na te kaccit kośo gacchati rāghava Is your income ample and your expenditure the smaller? Does your treasure not go, O Rāghava, to unworthy recipients? **2.94.46** devatārthe ca pitrarthe brāhmaṇābhyāgateṣu ca yodheṣu mitravargeṣu kaccid gacchati te vyayaḥ Does your expenditure go toward the gods and the ancestors, toward brāhmaṇas and arriving guests, toward your warriors and the circle of your friends? **2.94.47** kaccid āryo viśuddhātmā kṣāritaś corakarmaṇā apṛṣṭaḥ śāstrakuśalair na lobhād badhyate śuciḥ When a noble man of pure soul is falsely charged with an act of theft, is he — being innocent — not condemned unexamined, out of greed, by those skilled in the law? **2.94.48** gṛhītaś caiva pṛṣṭaś ca kāle dṛṣṭaḥ sakāraṇaḥ kaccin na mucyate coro dhanalobhān nararṣabha And when a thief has been seized, interrogated, and duly found guilty with cause proven, is he not, O bull among men, released for greed of money? **2.94.49** vyasane kaccid āḍhyasya dugatasya ca rāghava arthaṃ virāgāḥ paśyanti tavāmātyā bahuśrutāḥ When a dispute arises between a rich man and a poor man, O Rāghava, do your learned ministers judge the matter free of bias? **2.94.50** yāni mithyābhiśastānāṃ patanty asrāṇi rāghava tāni putrapaśūn ghnanti prītyartham anuśāsataḥ The tears that fall from those falsely accused, O Rāghava, destroy the sons and cattle of a ruler who governs only for his own pleasure. **2.94.51** kaccid vṛdhāṃś ca bālāṃś ca vaidyamukhyāṃś ca rāghava dānena manasā vācā tribhir etair bubhūṣase Do you seek to sustain the aged, the young, and the chief physicians, O Rāghava, by these three — gift, thought, and word? **2.94.52** kaccid gurūṃś ca vṛddhāṃś ca tāpasān devatātithīn caityāṃś ca sarvān siddhārthān brāhmaṇāṃś ca namasyasi Do you pay homage to elders and the aged, to ascetics, to gods and guests, to all wish-fulfilling shrines, and to brāhmaṇas? **2.94.53** kaccid arthena vā dharmaṃ dharmaṃ dharmeṇa vā punaḥ ubhau vā prītilobhena kāmena na vibādhase Do you never injure dharma by wealth, nor dharma again by (misapplied) dharma, nor both by pleasure prompted by fond greed? **2.94.54** kaccid arthaṃ ca dharmaṃ ca kāmaṃ ca jayatāṃ vara vibhajya kāle kālajña sarvān bharata sevase O best of conquerors, O knower of the season, apportioning them each to their proper time, do you attend to all three — wealth, dharma, and pleasure — O Bharata? **2.94.55** kaccit te brāhmaṇāḥ śarma sarvaśāstrārthakovidaḥ āśaṃsante mahāprājña paurajānapadaiḥ saha O deeply wise one, do the brāhmaṇas, versed in the meaning of all the śāstras, together with townsfolk and country-folk, wish you well-being? **2.94.56** nāstikyam anṛtaṃ krodhaṃ pramādaṃ dīrghasūtratām adarśanaṃ jñānavatām ālasyaṃ pañcavṛttitām Godlessness, falsehood, anger, heedlessness, procrastination, failure to consult the wise, sloth, and enslavement to the five senses; **2.94.57** ekacintanam arthānām anarthajñaiś ca mantraṇam niścitānām anārambhaṃ mantrasyāparilakṣaṇam deliberating alone on affairs, taking counsel with men ignorant of them, failure to launch what has been decided, and the failure to keep counsel secret; **2.94.58** maṅgalasyāprayogaṃ ca pratyutthānaṃ ca sarvaśaḥ kaccit tvaṃ varjayasy etān rājadoṣāṃś caturdaśa the neglect of auspicious observances, and rising up in war against all indiscriminately — do you shun these fourteen faults of a king? **2.94.59** kaccit svādukṛtaṃ bhojyam eko nāśnāsi rāghava kaccid āśaṃsamānebhyo mitrebhyaḥ saṃprayacchasi Do you not eat delicious food alone, O Rāghava? Do you share it with friends who look to you in hope?