Shloka 9
Vyavahāra-Śuddhi and Rājadharma: Clean Administration, Counsel, and Proportional Punishment
Chapter 86
अष्टभिश्न गुणैर्युक्त सूतं पौराणिकं तथा । पज्चाशद्वधर्षवयसं प्रगल्भमनसूयकम्
aṣṭabhiś ca guṇair yuktaṃ sūtaṃ paurāṇikaṃ tathā | pañcāśad-varṣa-vayasaṃ pragalbham anasūyakam ||
Dan hendaknya ia mengangkat pula seorang Sūta, yang menguasai tradisi Purāṇa, berhias delapan kebajikan: berusia sekitar lima puluh tahun, matang dan berani, serta bebas dari iri dan kebiasaan mencari-cari cela.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should choose advisers not merely by birth or skill, but by mature character: a tradition-versed Sūta should be selected for specific virtues—confidence without arrogance, and freedom from envy or fault-finding—so counsel remains steady, ethical, and conducive to dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction on righteous governance in the Shanti Parva, he specifies the kind of person the king should include in his advisory circle: a Purāṇa-knowing Sūta, around fifty years old, bold yet non-envious, suitable for confidential deliberation.