Shloka 8
Bhṛtya-niyoga: Role-appropriate appointment of servants and protection of the royal treasury (भृत्यनियोगः कोशरक्षणं च)
कृतज्ञं बलवन्तं च क्षान्तं दान्तं जितेन्द्रियम् । अलुब्धं लब्धसंतुष्टं स्वामिमित्रबु भूषकम्
kṛtajñaṃ balavantaṃ ca kṣāntaṃ dāntaṃ jitendriyam | alubdhaṃ labdhasaṃtuṣṭaṃ svāmimitrabubhūṣakam ||
ভীষ্ম বললেন—রাজা যেন মন্ত্রী করেন এমন ব্যক্তিকে, যে কৃতজ্ঞ ও বলবান; ক্ষমাশীল ও সংযত; ইন্দ্রিয়জয়ী; লোভমুক্ত; যা-ই লাভ হয় তাতেই সন্তুষ্ট; এবং প্রভু ও প্রভুর বন্ধুদের কল্যাণ-সমৃদ্ধি সাধনে সদা নিবিষ্ট।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s minister should be ethically grounded and psychologically disciplined: grateful, capable, patient, self-controlled, free from greed, content with lawful gains, and actively committed to the prosperity of the ruler and his allies.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma (the duties of kingship). Here he lists key virtues that qualify a person to serve as a minister, emphasizing character and loyalty as foundations of effective governance.