Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 52: Śabalā, Vasiṣṭha’s Wish-fulfilling Cow
Text 1.52.7
कच्चित्ते कुशलं राजन्कच्चिद्धर्मेण रञ्जयन्।
प्रजाः पालयसे वीर राजवृत्तेन धार्मिक॥
kaccit te kuśalaṁ rājan kaccid dharmeṇa rañjayan
prajāḥ pālayase vīra rāja-vṛttena dhārmika
kaccit te kuśalam rājan = O king, I hope you are well; kaccit dharmeṇa rañjayan = I hope you pleasingly according to dharma; prajāḥ pālayase = protect your citizens; vīra = hero; rāja-vṛttena = by carrying out the occupation of a king; dhārmika = O righteous.
O king, I hope you are well. O righteous hero, I hope you pleasingly protect your citizens by carrying out the occupation of a king according to dharma.
1 The Matsya Purāṇa 274.1 has a similar verse: nyāyenārjanam arthānāṁ vardhanaṁ cābhirakṣaṇam / sat-pātra-pratipattiś ca sarva-śāstreṣu paṭhyate.
In texts 7 to 9, kaccit is used to indicate that Vasiṣṭha wishes the welfare of the king. Amara-kośa allows this usage: kaccit kāma-pravedane.
Authorities declare that the occupation of a king are:
nyāyenārjanam arthasya vardhanaṁ pālanaṁ tathā
sat-pātre pratipattiś ca rāja-vṛttaṁ caturvidham
“To earn wealth justly, to increase the wealth, to protect it and to give wealth in charity to worthy recipients constitute the fourfold occupation of a king.”1