Shloka 18
Śānti Parva 116: Criteria for Royal Servants and Administrative Competence (भृत्य-गुण-प्रश्नः / राजसेवक-लक्षणम्)
समदुःखसुखा यस्य सहाया: प्रियकारिण: । अर्थचिन्तापरा: सत्या: स राज्यफलमश्रुते,जिसके सहायक राजाके सुखमें सुख और दु:खमें दुःख मानते हों, सदा उसका प्रिय करनेवाले हों और राजकीय धन कैसे बढ़े--इसकी चिन्तामें तत्पर तथा सत्यवादी हों, वह राजा राज्यका फल पाता है
samaduḥkhasukhā yasya sahāyāḥ priyakāriṇaḥ | arthacintāparāḥ satyāḥ sa rājyaphalam aśnute ||
Bhishma dit : «Ce roi jouit véritablement des fruits de la souveraineté lorsque ses compagnons partagent comme leurs propres sa joie et sa peine, s’emploient sans cesse à lui plaire, veillent à accroître les ressources du royaume et demeurent inébranlables dans la vérité. De tels auxiliaires, loyaux, prudents et sincères, rendent la royauté féconde et stable.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s rule becomes fruitful when his aides are empathetic (sharing his joys and sorrows), loyal in seeking his good, prudent in safeguarding and increasing state resources, and unwaveringly truthful. Such counsel and character are presented as the practical foundation of successful kingship.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma advises on the conditions for stable and beneficial rule. Here he highlights the moral and administrative qualities required in a king’s close associates—ministers and companions—whose conduct directly determines whether the king truly gains the ‘fruit’ of sovereignty.