Shloka 2
Chapter 81: Trust, Allies, and the Qualifications of the King’s Artha-Secretary (अर्थसचिव)
किंशील: किंसमाचारो राज्ञो5थ सचिवो भवेत् | कीदृशे विश्वसेद् राजा कीदृशे न च विश्वसेत्,अत: राजाकी सहायताके लिये जो सचिव (मन्त्री) हो, उसका स्वभाव और आचरण कैसा होना चाहिये? राजा कैसे मन्त्रीपर विश्वास करे और कैसे पर न करे?
kiṁśīlaḥ kiṁsamācāro rājño ’tha sacivo bhavet | kīdṛśe viśvased rājā kīdṛśe na ca viśvaset |
Yudhiṣṭhira asked: “What disposition and conduct should a king’s counsellor (minister) possess? In what kind of person should a king place trust, and in what kind should he not place trust?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a rājadharma inquiry: political power must be guided by ethical discernment. A king’s welfare depends on choosing ministers of sound character and proven conduct, and on knowing when trust is warranted and when caution is necessary.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira asks for criteria to evaluate a minister—what traits and behavior a counsellor should have, and how a king should decide whom to trust or distrust.