Shloka 22
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
न शक््यं हानमात्येन महत्त्वमनुशासितुम् । दुष्टामात्येन वा वीर शरीरपरिपन्थिना
na śakyaṃ hānamātyena mahattvam anuśāsitum | duṣṭāmātyena vā vīra śarīraparipanthinā ||
वीर! अयोग्य मन्त्री के सहारे राजा की महत्ता का शासन-संरक्षण नहीं हो सकता; और जो दुष्ट मन्त्री राजा के शरीर का ही शत्रु हो, उसके द्वारा तो राज्य चल ही नहीं सकता।
शार्टूल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Effective kingship depends on competent and virtuous ministers. A deficient minister cannot sustain royal greatness, and a corrupt minister becomes a direct threat to the ruler and the realm; therefore, wise counsel and integrity in advisers are essential to rājadharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Śārṭūla addresses a ‘hero’ and emphasizes the practical and moral necessity of good ministers: a king cannot rule a large kingdom alone, and wicked advisers make governance collapse and endanger the king’s life.