Shloka 13
मयूरवद्राजधर्मः (Mayūra-vat Rāja-dharma) — The Peacock-Model of Protective Kingship
एवमेतन्मजनुष्येन्द्र शूरैः प्राज्जैर्बहुशुतैः । कुलीनै: सह शक््येत कृत्स्ना जेतुं वसुन्धरा,नरेन्द्र! इसी प्रकार शूरवीर, विद्वान, बहुश्रुत और कुलीन पुरुषोंके साथ रहकर ही सारी पृथ्वीपर विजय पायी जा सकती है
evam etan manuṣyendra śūraiḥ prājñair bahuśrutaiḥ | kulīnaiḥ saha śakyeta kṛtsnā jetuṃ vasundharā nṛpendra ||
Bhīṣma said: “So it is, O best of men. Only by keeping company with men who are heroic, wise, widely learned, and of noble conduct can one hope to conquer the whole earth, O king. Sovereignty is not won by solitary effort, but by alliance with virtue, competence, and disciplined counsel.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Great achievements—especially political sovereignty—depend on association with capable and virtuous people: the brave for execution, the wise for judgment, the learned for tradition and policy, and the noble for integrity and social legitimacy.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Bhīṣma addresses the king and emphasizes that conquering and governing the world is feasible only through the support and companionship of qualified allies and counselors, not through isolated power.