Shloka 1.7.21
अमात्य-गुणवर्णनम् (The Virtues of Daśaratha’s Ministers and the Order of Governance)
नाध्यगच्छद्विशिष्टं वा तुल्यं वा शत्रुमात्मन: ।मित्रवान्नतसामन्त: प्रतापहतकण्टक: ।।।।स शशास जगद्राजा दिवं देवपतिर्यथा ।
vidyāvinītā hrīmantaḥ kuśalā niyatendriyāḥ |
śrīmantaś ca mahātmānaḥ śāstrajñā dṛḍhavikramāḥ ||
kīrtimantaḥ praṇihitāḥ yathāvacanakāriṇaḥ |
tejaḥ-kṣamā-yaśaḥprāptā smitapūrvābhibhāṣiṇaḥ ||
They were educated and disciplined, ashamed to commit injustice, skilled and self-controlled; prosperous, high-minded, learned in the śāstras, and steadfast in valor. Renowned and attentive, they acted in accordance with their word; endowed with splendor, forbearance, and fame, they spoke with courtesy, beginning with a smile.
The king (Dasaratha) had many friends. All the tributary kings were obedient to him. He killed his enemies with his might. There was no foe who was either superior to or equal to him. He ruled the world as Indra ruled the heaven.
Public duty requires inner discipline: learning, self-control, truthfulness in action (doing as one says), and kṣamā (forbearance) are presented as ethical foundations for governance.
The narration expands from listing ministers and priests to describing the ministers’ character—why they are fit to support a righteous king.
Integrity and restraint: being true to one’s word, morally modest (hri), and courteous in speech.