Shloka 45
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
सर्वलोकमिमं शक्तः सान्त्वेन कुरुते वशे | तस्मै मन्त्र: प्रयोक्तव्यो दण्डमाधित्सता नृप
sarvalokam imaṁ śaktaḥ sāntvena kurute vaśe | tasmai mantraḥ prayoktavyo daṇḍam ādhitsatā nṛpa ||
Bhishma bersabda: “Ia yang mampu menundukkan seluruh dunia ini dengan pendamaian dan bujukan yang lembut—maka, wahai raja, bila hendak menempuh jalan hukuman, gunakanlah nasihat yang telah dipertimbangkan masak, agar kekuatan dipandu kebijaksanaan, bukan dorongan sesaat.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that the first and most effective instrument of rule is sāntva (conciliation). Even when punishment (daṇḍa) is contemplated, it must be preceded and guided by mantra—deliberate counsel—so that coercion remains ethical, proportionate, and purposeful.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma advises the king on methods of governance. Here he emphasizes that gentle persuasion can subdue people more effectively than force, and that any move toward punishment should be undertaken only after careful strategic and moral deliberation.