Shloka 44
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
संतुष्ट: सम्मतः सत्य: शौटीरो द्वेष्पपापक: । मन्त्रवित् कालविच्छूर: स मन्त्र श्रोतुमहति
santuṣṭaḥ sammataḥ satyaḥ śauṭīro dveṣṭi pāpakaḥ | mantravit kālavic chūraḥ sa mantraṃ śrotum arhati ||
Bhishma said: One who is content, esteemed by the good, devoted to truth, valiant, a hater of sin, skilled in counsel, and discerning of the proper time—such a courageous man is fit to be entrusted with hearing confidential deliberations. The teaching is that secrecy in governance is not merely a technique but a moral trust, to be shared only with those whose character and judgment safeguard the common good.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Confidential counsel (mantra) should be shared only with a person of proven character—content, truthful, morally averse to wrongdoing, respected by the virtuous, and capable of sound judgment and timing—because political secrecy is a dharmic responsibility, not merely a strategic tool.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma lays down criteria for who is qualified to be included in secret deliberations, emphasizing ethical reliability and practical discernment as prerequisites for access to sensitive counsel.