Shloka 22
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
परीक्ष्य च गुणान् नित्यं प्रौदभावान् धुरंधरान् | पज्चोपधाव्यतीतांश्व कुर्याद् राजार्थकारिण:
parīkṣya ca guṇān nityaṃ praudhabhāvān dhuraṃdharān | pañcopadhāvyatītāṃś ca kuryād rājārthakāriṇaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “A king should continually examine the qualities of those who are mature in judgment and capable of bearing responsibility. Only those who have successfully passed the fivefold testing should be appointed as agents to carry out the king’s affairs.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must not appoint people to sensitive state duties merely on reputation or proximity; he should continuously evaluate their virtues and competence, and select only those who have proven themselves through rigorous tests of character and reliability.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira on practical governance: the king should scrutinize candidates for responsibility and employ only those who have passed a fivefold examination (pañcopadhā) before entrusting them with royal business.