Shloka 14
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
समर्थान् पूजयेद् यश्न नास्पर्ध: स्पर्थते च यः । न च कामाद् भयात् क्रोधाल्लोभाद् वा धर्ममुत्सूजेत्
bhīṣma uvāca | samarthān pūjayed yaś ca nāspardhaḥ spardhate ca yaḥ | na ca kāmād bhayāt krodhāl lobhād vā dharmam utsṛjet |
Bhishma said: One should honor those who are capable and worthy. A fit counsellor is one who does not compete out of petty rivalry, nor envies those unfit for competition; and who does not abandon dharma under the pressure of desire, fear, anger, or greed. Such steadiness and freedom from base impulses mark the kind of person who can be trusted in confidential deliberation.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should respect the truly capable, and choose confidential advisers who remain anchored in dharma—unmoved by desire, fear, anger, or greed—and who avoid petty rivalry and envy.
In the Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on statecraft and ethical governance; here he lists traits that qualify a person to be trusted in secret counsel and high responsibility.