Shloka 35
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
अनुजुस्त्वनुरक्तो5पि सम्पन्नश्वेतरैर्गुणै: । राज्ञ: प्रज्ञानयुक्तोडपि न मन्त्र श्रोतुमहति,जो अनुरक्त हो, अन्यान्य गुणोंसे सम्पन्न हो और बुद्धिमान् हो, वह भी यदि सरल स्वभावका न हो तो राजाकी गुप्त सलाहको सुननेका अधिकारी नहीं है
anujuṣṭv anurakto 'pi sampannaś cānyair guṇaiḥ | rājñaḥ prajñāna-yukto 'pi na mantraṃ śrotum arhati ||
ভীষ্ম বললেন—যদিও কেউ রাজার ঘনিষ্ঠ ও অনুরক্ত, অন্যান্য গুণে সমৃদ্ধ এবং বুদ্ধিমান হয়, তবু যদি তার স্বভাব সরল ও নিষ্কপট না হয়, তবে সে রাজার গোপন পরামর্শ শোনার যোগ্য নয়।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Loyalty, virtues, and intelligence are insufficient qualifications for hearing a king’s secret counsel; without straightforwardness and inner simplicity, a person is unfit for confidential deliberations because secrecy requires integrity, not merely capability.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs on rajadharma (the duties and policies of kings). Here he lays down a criterion for who may be admitted to the king’s private consultations, warning that even trusted and capable associates must be excluded if their nature is not guileless.