Shloka 11
Śānti Parva 116: Criteria for Royal Servants and Administrative Competence (भृत्य-गुण-प्रश्नः / राजसेवक-लक्षणम्)
कीदृशा: संनिकर्षस्था भृत्या: सर्वगुणान्विता: । कीदृशै: कि कुलीनैर्वा सह यात्रा विधीयते
kīdṛśāḥ saṃnikarṣasthā bhṛtyāḥ sarvaguṇānvitāḥ | kīdṛśaiḥ kiṃ kulīnair vā saha yātrā vidhīyate ||
ユディシュティラは問うた。「あらゆる徳を備えた従者とは、いかなる者を近侍として置くべきでしょうか。また王は、いかなる男たちと、いかなる高貴な家柄の者たちと共に、軍征の旅に出るべきでしょうか。」
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a rājadharma inquiry: a king’s success and moral safety depend on choosing close attendants of proven virtue and selecting suitable companions for military expeditions—emphasizing character, reliability, and proper social standing as safeguards for governance and warfare.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Yudhiṣṭhira asks for guidance about whom a king should keep near and with what kind of well-born, capable men he should set out on a warlike campaign, seeking norms for prudent and ethical rule.