Shloka 34
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
यस्तु संसहते तानि भर्तु: प्रियचिकीर्षया । समानसुखदु:खं तं पृच्छेदर्थेषु मानवम्,जो मन्त्री स्वामीका प्रिय करनेकी इच्छासे उसके उन सभी बर्तावोंको सह लेता है, वही अनुरक्त है। वह राजाके सुख-दुःखको अपना ही सुख-दुःख मानता है। ऐसे ही मनुष्यसे राजाको सभी कार्योंमें सलाह पूछनी चाहिये
yastu saṃsahate tāni bhartuḥ priyacikīrṣayā | samānasukhaduḥkhaṃ taṃ pṛcchedartheṣu mānavam ||
Bhishma dit : Celui qui, voulant accomplir ce qui plaît à son maître, supporte patiemment ces comportements et fait siens la joie et la peine du roi, celui-là est véritablement dévoué. En toutes affaires du royaume, le roi doit prendre conseil auprès d’un tel homme.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should rely on a counselor who is genuinely devoted: one who endures difficulties for the king’s good and who emotionally identifies with the king’s welfare, sharing both happiness and distress. Such loyalty and empathy are presented as the mark of a trustworthy adviser.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rāja-dharma, Bhishma is describing the qualities of a proper minister. He states that the king should consult, in all affairs, the person who can bear the king’s difficult conduct for the sake of pleasing and benefiting him, and who treats the king’s fortunes as his own.