Shloka 28
Daṇḍa-svarūpa-nirūpaṇa
The Nature, Forms, and Function of Daṇḍa
अलुब्धान् शिक्षितान् दान्तान् धर्मेषु परिनिष्ठितान् । स्थापयेत् सर्वकार्येषु राजा धर्मार्थरक्षिण:
alubdhān śikṣitān dāntān dharmeṣu pariniṣṭhitān | sthāpayet sarvakāryeṣu rājā dharmārtharakṣiṇaḥ ||
Raja hendaknya menempatkan dalam setiap urusan hanya mereka yang tanpa loba, terdidik, mampu mengekang diri, teguh dalam dharma, serta sanggup menjaga dharma dan artha.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must entrust public responsibilities only to people who are non-greedy, educated, self-controlled, and firmly grounded in dharma, because such officials protect both moral order (dharma) and public welfare/prosperity (artha).
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma advises the king on statecraft—specifically, the ethical criteria for selecting and appointing persons to carry out the kingdom’s affairs.