Shloka 19
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
व्यायामशीला सततं कुलपुत्रा: कुलोद्वहा: । दोषै: प्रमुक्ता: प्रथितास्ते ग्राह्मा: पार्थिवैर्नरा:
vyāyāmaśīlāḥ satataṃ kulaputrāḥ kulodvahāḥ | doṣaiḥ pramuktāḥ prathitās te grāhyāḥ pārthivair narāḥ ||
Bhishma dit : «Les rois doivent admettre dans leur intimité des hommes toujours voués à l’effort discipliné, nés de bonnes familles et capables de porter leur lignée; exempts de défauts et renommés parmi le peuple. De tels hommes—fermes, compétents et respectés de tous—sont dignes d’être reçus comme alliés et amis dans l’œuvre d’un gouvernement conforme au dharma.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should choose associates and friends who are disciplined and industrious, well-born and responsible, free from moral defects, and publicly reputable—because such character supports stable and righteous governance.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on royal duty, Bhishma continues advising on statecraft and ethics, specifying the kind of men a king should accept into his circle—those known for discipline, good lineage, and faultless conduct.