Shloka 21

Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)

Devanagari script

जिनके साथ कोई-न-कोई सम्बन्ध हो

Transliteration

yeṣāṃ vainayikī buddhiḥ prakṛtiś caiva śobhanā | tejo dhairyaṃ kṣamā śaucaṃ anurāgaḥ sthitir dhṛtiḥ ||

Translation

যিসকলৰ সৈতে কোনো নহয় কোনো সম্পৰ্ক আছে, যিসকল সুকুলজাত, বিশ্বাসযোগ্য, স্বদেশীয়, ঘুষ নলোৱা আৰু ব্যভিচাৰাদি দোষমুক্ত; যিসকল সকলো দিশে ভালদৰে পৰীক্ষিত; যিসকল উত্তম জাতিৰ, বেদমাৰ্গানুগামী, পিতৃ-পৈতামহ কালৰ পৰা ৰাজসেৱাত অভ্যস্ত আৰু অহংকাৰশূন্য—উন্নতি-কামী ৰজাই তেনেকুৱাকেই মন্ত্ৰী কৰিব লাগে। যিসকলৰ বিনয়যুক্ত বুদ্ধি আৰু শোভন স্বভাৱ আছে, আৰু যিসকলৰ তেজ, ধৈৰ্য, ক্ষমা, শৌচ, অনুৰাগ, স্থিতি আৰু ধৃতি আছে।

Word by Word

• {'yeṣām': 'of whom

• whose', 'vainayikī': 'pertaining to discipline and good training

• ethical refinement', 'buddhiḥ': 'intellect

• understanding', 'prakṛtiḥ': 'nature

• temperament', 'ca eva': 'and indeed', 'śobhanā': 'excellent

• commendable', 'tejaḥ': 'vigor

• moral and political force', 'dhairyam': 'courage

• steadfastness', 'kṣamā': 'forbearance

• capacity to forgive', 'śaucam': 'purity

• integrity', 'anurāgaḥ': 'affectionate loyalty

• devoted attachment', 'sthitiḥ': 'stability

• settledness', 'dhṛtiḥ': 'firmness

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that political power should be supported by ethical competence: ministers must be chosen for disciplined judgment, good character, loyalty, purity, patience, courage, and steady resolve—qualities that protect the king and the realm from corruption and instability.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on raja-dharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on statecraft. Here he lists the inner virtues that mark trustworthy ministers, emphasizing tested character and stable temperament as prerequisites for high office.