Text 18
ātmānaṁ prakṛtiṣv addhā
nidhāya śreya āpnuyāt
rājñā tathā prakṛtayo
naradevāhitādhayaḥ
ātmānam — himself; prakṛtiṣu — under these seven royal elements; addhā — directly; nidhāya — placing; śreyaḥ — ultimate happiness; āpnuyāt — may obtain; rājñā — by the king; tathā — so also; prakṛtayaḥ — the dependent royal elements; nara-deva — O King; āhita-adhayaḥ — offering wealth and other items.
O King, O lord of humanity, when a king directly depends upon his associates and follows their instructions, he is happy. Similarly, when his associates offer their gifts and activities to the king and follow his orders, they are also happy.
The actual happiness of a king and his dependents is described in this verse. A king should not simply give orders to his dependents because he is supreme; sometimes he must follow their instructions. Similarly, the dependents should depend on the king. This mutual dependence will make everyone happy.