Shloka 19
Vāmadeva’s Rājadharma: Norm-Setting, Counsel, and the Prevention of Rāṣṭra-Vināśa (वामदेव-प्रोक्तं राजधर्मम्)
ये केचित् भूमिपतय: सर्वास्तानन्ववेक्षयेत् । सुहृद्धिरनभिख्यातैस्तेन राजातिरिच्यते
ye kecid bhūmipatayaḥ sarvāṁs tān anvavekṣayet | suhṛdbhir anabhikhyātaiḥ tena rājātiricyate ||
Vāmadeva said: Let the king keep watch over all rulers, whoever they may be. A king who, through trusted friends who are not publicly known, secretly observes the condition and intentions of all other kings—by this very conduct becomes pre-eminent among rulers.
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should maintain informed vigilance about other rulers through discreet, trustworthy, and publicly unknown agents; strategic awareness and secrecy, used responsibly, make a king excel in governance.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rāja-dharma, the sage Vāmadeva advises the king on practical statecraft: to assess the situation of all other kings by employing trusted but unrecognized friends who can observe and report without drawing attention.