Shloka 23
Bhṛtya-niyoga: Role-appropriate appointment of servants and protection of the royal treasury (भृत्यनियोगः कोशरक्षणं च)
राजा गुणशताकीर्ण एष्टव्यस्तादृशो भवेत् | योधाश्रैव मनुष्येन्द्र सर्वे गुणगणैर्वृता:,ऐसे सैकड़ों गुणोंसे सम्पन्न राजा ही प्रजाके लिये वांछनीय होता है। नरेन्द्र! राज्यकी रक्षामें सहायता देनेवाले समस्त सैनिक भी इसी प्रकार श्रेष्ठ गुण-समूहोंसे सम्पन्न होने चाहिये, इस कार्यके लिये अच्छे पुरुषोंकी ही खोज करनी चाहिये तथा अपनी उन्नतिकी इच्छा रखनेवाले राजाको कभी अपने सैनिकोंका अपमान नहीं करना चाहिये
bhīṣma uvāca | rājā guṇaśatākīrṇa eṣṭavyas tādṛśo bhavet | yodhāś caiva manuṣyendra sarve guṇagaṇair vṛtāḥ |
Bhishma said: “A king adorned with hundreds of virtues is the ruler to be desired and chosen for the people’s welfare. And, O lord of men, the warriors who aid him in guarding the kingdom should likewise be endowed with excellent clusters of qualities. Therefore one should seek out good men for this duty, and a king who seeks his own advancement should never demean his soldiers.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should be richly endowed with virtues, and his military supporters should also be men of strong character; for effective and righteous governance, the king must select good people for protection of the realm and must not insult or demean his soldiers, since their dignity and morale are integral to the kingdom’s security and the king’s own success.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma addresses the king (traditionally Yudhishthira) and lays down standards for governance: the ideal king is virtuous, and those who defend the state must likewise be qualified by good qualities; the passage emphasizes careful selection of personnel and respectful treatment of the army.