Shloka 13
Bhṛtya-niyoga: Role-appropriate appointment of servants and protection of the royal treasury (भृत्यनियोगः कोशरक्षणं च)
चौक्ष॑ं चौक्षजनाकीर्ण सुमुखं सुखदर्शनम् । नायकं॑ नीतिकुशलं गुणचेष्टासमन्वितम्
bhīṣma uvāca | caukṣaṃ caukṣa-janākīrṇaṃ sumukhaṃ sukha-darśanam | nāyakaṃ nīti-kuśalaṃ guṇa-ceṣṭā-samanvitam ||
भीष्म ने कहा—राजा उसी को मन्त्री नियुक्त करे जो दूरदर्शी और विवेकी हो, विवेकशील जनों से घिरा हो; जिसका मुख प्रसन्न और दर्शन सुखद हो; जो नेतृत्व-योग्य, नीतिकुशल तथा श्रेष्ठ गुणों और संयमित आचरण से सम्पन्न हो।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should choose ministers by character and competence: clear discernment, pleasing and trustworthy demeanor, leadership capacity, mastery of nīti (policy and ethical governance), and a life shaped by virtues and disciplined conduct.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on governance, here describing the qualities that make a person worthy to serve as a royal minister and guide the king’s decisions.