Shloka 50
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
मन्त्रगूढा हि राज्यस्य मन्त्रिणो ये मनीषिण: । मन्त्रसंहननो राजा मन्त्राज्ञानीतरे जना:
mantragūḍhā hi rājyasya mantriṇo ye manīṣiṇaḥ | mantrasaṃhananaḥ rājā mantrājñānītare janāḥ ||
قال بهيشما: إن الوزراء الحكماء يكتمون مشورة الدولة كتمانًا محكمًا. فالمشورة هي درع الملك وموضع تماسك قوته؛ أما سائر الناس—من الأعضاء والأتباع—فليسوا إلا أطرافًا وآلاتٍ للمداولة، لا من أهل العلم بحقيقتها.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Effective and ethical governance depends on confidential, well-guarded counsel: wise ministers protect the kingdom by preserving secrecy, because strategic deliberation functions as the king’s defense and strength.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rāja-dharma, Bhishma advises the king on principles of administration, emphasizing that ministers must conceal state counsel and that not everyone involved in deliberations truly understands or should access it.