Shloka 25
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
राजन! जो बोलनेमें कुशल, शौर्यसम्पन्न, प्रत्येक बातको ठीक-ठीक समझनेमें निपुण, कुलीन, सत्त्वयुक्त, संकेत समझनेवाले, निष्ठरतासे रहित (दयालु), देश और कालके विधानको जाननेवाले तथा स्वामीके कार्य एवं हितकी सिद्धि चाहनेवाले हों, ऐसे पुरुषोंको सदा सभी प्रयोजनोंकी सिद्धिके लिये मन्त्री बनाना चाहिये ।।
rājan! yo vaktum kuśalaḥ śauryasampannaḥ pratyekaṃ vākyaṃ yathāvat pratipattum nipuṇaḥ kulīnaḥ sattvayuktaḥ saṅketa-jñaḥ anṛśaṃsya-yuktaḥ deśa-kāla-vidhijñaḥ svāminaḥ kārya-hita-siddhi-kāmaś ca bhavet, tādṛśān puruṣān sarvadā sarvaprayojana-siddhaye mantriṇaḥ kuryāt. hīna-tejo’bhisaṃsṛṣṭo naiva jātu vyavasyati; avaśyaṃ janayaty eva sarva-karmasu saṃśayam.
Bhishma says: “O King, one should always appoint as ministers men who are skilled in speech, endowed with valor, precise in understanding each matter, of noble lineage, possessed of steadiness and integrity, able to grasp hints and intentions, compassionate (free from cruelty), knowledgeable of what is appropriate to place and time, and intent on accomplishing the ruler’s tasks and welfare. Such men bring success to every purpose. But a king who keeps company with a minister of diminished brilliance never truly reaches a firm decision about what ought or ought not to be done; that minister inevitably breeds doubt in every undertaking.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s success depends heavily on the quality of counsel: appoint ministers who are brave, discerning, compassionate, context-aware (place and time), and devoted to the ruler’s welfare; avoid weak or ineffectual counselors who generate indecision and doubt.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma teaches the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) how to choose ministers and warns that association with a low-energy, incompetent minister undermines decisive governance.