Shloka 16
Bhṛtya-niyoga: Role-appropriate appointment of servants and protection of the royal treasury (भृत्यनियोगः कोशरक्षणं च)
एतैरेव गुणैर्युक्तो राजा शास्त्रविशारद: । एष्टव्यो धर्मपरम: प्रजापालनतत्पर:
etair eva guṇair yukto rājā śāstraviśāradaḥ | eṣṭavyo dharmaparamaḥ prajā-pālana-tatparaḥ ||
Bhishma dit : «Le roi lui-même doit être pourvu de ces mêmes qualités : il doit être versé dans les śāstras, voué au dharma par-dessus tout, et appliqué à protéger et à nourrir ses sujets. Un tel souverain seul est vraiment souhaitable pour le peuple.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler becomes worthy of acceptance only when virtue is joined with learning: mastery of śāstra, supremacy of dharma in decision-making, and unwavering commitment to protecting and sustaining the people.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance, Bhīṣma continues advising on rājadharma, describing the traits that make a king fit to be desired by his subjects—learned, righteous, and devoted to public welfare.