Shloka 41
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
कृतप्रज्ञश्न मेधावी बुधो जानपद: शुचि: । सर्वकर्मसु यः शुद्ध: स मन्त्र श्रोतुमहति
kṛtaprajñaś ca medhāvī budho jānapadaḥ śuciḥ | sarvakarmasu yaḥ śuddhaḥ sa mantraṃ śrotum arhati ||
Bhīṣma said: Only that person is fit to hear confidential counsel—one whose understanding is mature and steady, who is intellectually sharp and wise, who belongs to the land (a trusted native), who is pure in conduct, and who has been found blameless after scrutiny in every kind of duty and undertaking.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Confidential counsel should be entrusted only to a person of proven character: mature judgment, intelligence, wisdom, purity of conduct, local rootedness/trust, and a record that remains faultless under examination.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous governance and conduct, Bhīṣma lays down criteria for who is qualified to receive and hear secret political or ethical counsel (mantra), emphasizing tested integrity over mere status.