कच्चिन्मन्त्रयसे नैकः कच्चिन्न बहुभिः सह।
कच्चित्ते मन्त्रितो मन्त्रो राष्ट्रं न परिधावति॥
kaccin mantrayase naikaḥ kaccin na bahubhiḥ saha
kaccit te mantrito mantro rāṣṭraṁ na paridhāvati
kaccit = I hope; mantrayase = You decide on issues; na = do not; ekaḥ = alone; kaccit = and I hope that; na = You do not [consult]; bahubhiḥ saha = with many [to decide on such issues]; kaccit = I hope; te = You; mantritaḥ = make; mantraḥ = the decisions; rāṣṭram = to the country; na = do not; paridhāvati = spread out.
I hope You do not decide on issues alone and I hope that You do not [consult] with many [to decide on such issues]. I hope the decisions You make do not spread out to the country.1
1 Meaning, “I hope You don’t leak Your decisions out to the country.”
If one decides on issues alone, there is the possibility of not grasping the benefits and risks involved in such decisions. If one consults with many, it is first of all difficult to attain unanimity of opinion among the consultants and [mutually] conflicting counsels might also be given.
[Regarding the second line of this verse:] In a previous verse, Rāma had spoken about others guarding such secrets. In this verse, Rāma speaks about oneself guarding such secrets.