Shloka 43
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
सत्यवाक् शीलसम्पन्नो गम्भीर: सत्रपो मृदु: । पितृपैतामहो यः स्यात् स मन्त्र श्रोतुमहति
satyavāk śīlasampanno gambhīraḥ satrapo mṛduḥ | pitṛpaitāmaho yaḥ syāt sa mantraṃ śrotum arhati ||
Bhishma said: One who speaks truth, is endowed with good conduct, is grave and steady, possesses modesty, and is gentle by nature—and who has been a hereditary servant of the king from the time of the father and grandfather—such a person is fit to hear confidential counsel.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Confidential political counsel should be entrusted only to a person of proven virtue—truthful speech, good character, gravity, modesty, and gentleness—whose loyalty is established through long, hereditary service; moral reliability is presented as the foundation of political trust.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma and governance in the Shanti Parva, he lists the qualities of a trustworthy attendant/counsellor who may be admitted to secret deliberations, emphasizing ethical character and tested loyalty.