Shloka 3
मयूरवद्राजधर्मः (Mayūra-vat Rāja-dharma) — The Peacock-Model of Protective Kingship
स्वजातिगुणसम्पन्ना: स्वेषु कर्मसु संस्थिता: । प्रकर्तव्या ह्ामात्यास्तु नास्थाने प्रक्रिया क्षमा,जो अपनी जातिके गुणसे सम्पन्न हो अपने वर्णोचित कर्मोमें ही लगे रहते हों, उन्हें मन्त्री बनाना चाहिये; किंतु किसीको भी उसकी योग्यतासे बाहरके कार्यमें नियुक्त करना उचित नहीं है
bhīṣma uvāca | svajātiguṇasampannāḥ sveṣu karmasu saṃsthitāḥ | prakartavyā hy āmātyās tu nāsthāne prakriyā kṣamā ||
Bhishma said: Those who are endowed with the virtues proper to their own social order and who remain firmly established in their prescribed duties should be appointed as ministers. But assigning anyone to a task that is not their proper place—outside their competence and station—is not acceptable in governance.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should appoint ministers who are grounded in their own proper virtues and duties; administrative assignments must match a person’s rightful role and competence, since misplacement in office is ethically and practically improper.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on statecraft, emphasizing careful selection of ministers and warning against placing people in unsuitable positions.