Shloka 23
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
जिनमें विनययुक्त बुद्धि, सुन्दर स्वभाव, तेज, वीरता, क्षमा, पवित्रता, प्रेम, धृति और स्थिरता हो, उनके इन गुणोंकी परीक्षा करके यदि वे राजकीय कार्यभारको सँभालनेमें प्रौढ़ तथा निष्कपट सिद्ध हों तो राजा उनमेंसे पाँच व्यक्तियोंको चुनकर अर्थमन्त्री बनावे ।।
Bhīṣma uvāca: yeṣāṁ vinayayuktā buddhiḥ, sundaraḥ svabhāvaḥ, tejaḥ, vīryam, kṣamā, pavitratā, prema, dhṛtiḥ ca sthairyaṁ ca bhavati, teṣāṁ guṇān parīkṣya yadi te rājakīya-kāryabhāraṁ soḍhuṁ prauḍhā niṣkapaṭāś ca siddhāḥ syuḥ, tadā rājā teṣāṁ madhyāt pañca puruṣān varayitvā arthamantriṇaḥ kuryāt. paryāptavacanān vīrān pratipattiviśāradān, kulīnān sattvasampannān niścitajñānanisthirān.
Bhīṣma said: “Those in whom there is a disciplined intellect, a pleasing disposition, brilliance, valor, forbearance, purity, affection, steadfast resolve, and stability—after testing these qualities, if they are found mature and free from deceit in bearing the burden of royal administration, then the king should select five among them and appoint them as ministers of finance and policy. They should be men of measured and sufficient speech, courageous, skilled in judgment and practical conduct, of noble lineage, rich in moral strength, and firmly grounded in certain knowledge.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should appoint ministers only after testing character and competence: disciplined intellect, integrity, courage, patience, purity, goodwill, steadiness, and stable judgment; and they should be measured in speech, expert in practical decision-making, morally strong, and firmly grounded in knowledge.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on how a ruler should choose key ministers—specifically recommending the selection of five proven, sincere, capable individuals to manage the state’s artha (resources and policy).