Shloka 7
Vyavahāra-Śuddhi and Rājadharma: Clean Administration, Counsel, and Proportional Punishment
Chapter 86
चतुरो ब्राह्मणान् वैद्यान् प्रगल्भान् स्नातकान् शुचीन् । क्षत्रियांश्ष॒ तथा चाष्टौ बलिन: शस्त्रपाणिन:
bhīṣma uvāca | caturo brāhmaṇān vaidyān pragalbhān snātakān śucīn | kṣatriyāṃś ca tathā aṣṭau balinaḥ śastrapāṇinaḥ |
Seorang raja hendaknya mengangkat empat Brahmana—mahir dalam Weda dan cabang-cabangnya, berani, telah menjalani upacara snātaka, serta suci lahir batin—dan juga delapan Ksatria yang kuat raganya dan memanggul senjata.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sound kingship depends on a carefully constituted council: learned and morally disciplined Brahmins provide guidance rooted in sacred learning and ethical restraint, while strong armed Kshatriyas provide the capacity to protect and enforce policy. The verse emphasizes competence, purity, and courage as qualifications for counsel.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on royal duty, Bhishma advises the king on how to select ministers. This verse specifies the first components of the ministerial body: four qualified Brahmins and eight strong weapon-bearing Kshatriyas.