Shloka 6.6.12
रावणस्य मन्त्रविचारः — Ravana’s Council on Strategy
ऐकमत्यमुपागम्यशास्त्रदृष्टेनचक्षुषा ।।6.6.12।।मन्त्रिणोयत्रनिरतास्तमाहुर्मन्त्रमुत्तमम् ।
aikamatyam upāgamya śāstradṛṣṭena cakṣuṣā |
mantriṇo yatra niratās tam āhur mantram uttamam ||6.6.12||
That counsel is called the best in which ministers, looking with the eye of śāstra, come together in unanimity and remain firmly committed to it.
"When all ministers are unanimous and come to one conclusion based on sastras, and having come together remain firm, such counsel is said to be the best."
Dharma in statecraft is collective, śāstra-informed deliberation leading to unified action. Satya here is ‘seeing with śāstra’—testing opinions against enduring ethical and practical standards.
Rāvaṇa defines what constitutes ‘best counsel’ for ministers while addressing his court after Hanumān’s disruption.
Responsible governance: consensus grounded in principled knowledge rather than impulse.