Shloka 9
दानपात्रापात्र-निर्णयः / Determining Worthy Gifts, Recipients, and Permissible Food
बृहस्पतिपुरोगांस्तु देवर्षीनसकृत् प्रभु: । तोषयित्वोपचारेण राजनीतिमधीतवान्
bṛhaspatipurogāṁstu devarṣīn asakṛt prabhuḥ | toṣayitvopacāreṇa rājānītim adhītavān ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “That mighty lord (Bhīṣma) repeatedly pleased the divine seers, with Bṛhaspati at their head, through attentive service and proper courtesies, and thus learned the science of kingship (rāja-nīti).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True rāja-nīti (statecraft) is not mere strategy; it is disciplined learning received from authoritative sages and grounded in humility—shown by repeated respectful service (upacāra) to one’s teachers.
Vaiśampāyana describes Bhīṣma’s preparation: he repeatedly attended upon and pleased the devarṣis led by Bṛhaspati, and through that relationship of service and instruction he mastered the principles of governance.