Shloka 31

Vyavahāra-Śuddhi and Rājadharma: Clean Administration, Counsel, and Proportional Punishment

Chapter 86

Devanagari script

कुलीन: सच्त्वसम्पन्न: शुक्लो<मात्य: प्रशस्यते । एतैरेव गुणैर्युक्तस्तथा सेनापतिर्भवेत्‌,सन्धि-विग्रहके अवसरको जाननेवाला, धर्मशास्त्रका तत्त्वज्ञ, बुद्धिमान, धीर, लज्जावान रहस्यको गुप्त रखनेवाला, कुलीन, साहसी तथा शुद्ध हृदयवाला मन्त्री ही उत्तम माना जाता है। सेनापति भी इन्हीं गुणोंसे युक्त होना चाहिये

Transliteration

Bhīṣma uvāca: kulīnaḥ sattva-sampannaḥ śuklo 'mātyaḥ praśasyate | etair eva guṇair yuktaḥ tathā senāpatir bhavet | sandhi-vigrahake 'vasarako jānanevālaḥ, dharmaśāstrasya tattvajñaḥ, buddhimān, dhīraḥ, lajjāvān, rahasyaṃ gupta-rakṣakaḥ, kulīnaḥ, sāhasī tathā śuddha-hṛdayavān mantrī hī uttamaḥ manyate | senāpatir api ebhir eva guṇaiḥ yuktaḥ syāt |

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : « Un ministre est loué lorsqu’il est de noble lignée, pourvu de force intérieure et de vertu, et pur dans sa conduite. Possédant ces mêmes qualités, le commandant de l’armée doit lui aussi être nommé. Il doit discerner les moments justes pour la paix et pour la guerre, connaître l’essence des textes du dharma, être intelligent et constant, pudique, capable de garder le conseil secret, bien né, courageux et au cœur pur. Un tel ministre est tenu pour le meilleur — et le général doit être façonné par les mêmes vertus. »

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'kulīnaḥ', 'definition': 'of noble family

• socially reputable'}, {'term': 'sattva-sampannaḥ', 'definition': 'endowed with sattva (inner strength, moral clarity, steadiness)

• virtuous in temperament'}, {'term': 'śuklaḥ', 'definition': 'pure

• untainted in conduct and intention'}, {'term': 'amātyaḥ', 'definition': 'minister

• royal counsellor'}, {'term': 'praśasyate', 'definition': 'is praised

• is commended'}, {'term': 'guṇa', 'definition': 'quality

• merit'}, {'term': 'yuktaḥ', 'definition': 'endowed with

• properly joined with'}, {'term': 'senāpatiḥ', 'definition': 'commander of the army

• general'}, {'term': 'sandhi', 'definition': 'peace

• reconciliation'}, {'term': 'vigraha', 'definition': 'hostility

• war'}, {'term': 'dharmaśāstra', 'definition': 'treatises on dharma (law, ethics, duty, right conduct)'}, {'term': 'tattvajñaḥ', 'definition': 'knower of the essence/principle

• one who understands fundamentals'}, {'term': 'buddhimān', 'definition': 'intelligent

• prudent'}, {'term': 'dhīraḥ', 'definition': 'steady

• composed under pressure'}, {'term': 'lajjāvān', 'definition': 'modest

• ethically self-regulating'}, {'term': 'rahasya', 'definition': 'secret

• confidential counsel'}, {'term': 'gupta-rakṣakaḥ', 'definition': 'one who keeps (it) protected/hidden

• trustworthy keeper of secrets'}, {'term': 'sāhasī', 'definition': 'bold

• capable of decisive action'}, {'term': 'śuddha-hṛdayavān', 'definition': 'pure-hearted

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• amātya (minister)
• senāpati (army commander)
• sandhi (peace/treaty)
• vigraha (conflict/war)
• dharmaśāstra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that political and military authority must be grounded in character: the best minister—and likewise the army commander—should be noble in conduct, morally steady, pure, intelligent, discreet, and capable of judging when to pursue peace (sandhi) and when conflict (vigraha) is necessary.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma advises the king about selecting key officers of state. Here he lists the virtues required for a minister and states that the commander of the army should possess the same set of qualities.