Shloka 8
Vyavahāra-Śuddhi and Rājadharma: Clean Administration, Counsel, and Proportional Punishment
Chapter 86
वैश्यान् वित्तेन सम्पन्नानेकविंशतिसंख्यया । त्रींक्ष शूद्रान् विनीतांश्व शुचीन् कर्मणि पूर्वके
bhīṣma uvāca | vaiśyān vittēna sampannān ekaviṃśati-saṅkhyayā | trīṃś ca śūdrān vinītāṃś ca śucīn karmaṇi pūrvake ||
धन-सम्पन्न इक्कीस वैश्य तथा अपने-अपने पूर्वकर्म में निपुण, विनीत और शुद्ध—ऐसे तीन शूद्र भी (परिषद् में) नियुक्त करे।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should build governance on qualified, ethically steady advisers drawn from different social functions—prosperous Vaiśyas for economic counsel and disciplined, pure Śūdras skilled in customary duties—so that rule is both righteous and practically effective.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on royal duty, Bhishma continues prescribing the composition of a royal council, specifying numbers and qualities for members from various groups, emphasizing prosperity, discipline, purity, and competence in one’s traditional work.