Shloka 18
Śānti Parva 116: Criteria for Royal Servants and Administrative Competence (भृत्य-गुण-प्रश्नः / राजसेवक-लक्षणम्)
समदुःखसुखा यस्य सहाया: प्रियकारिण: । अर्थचिन्तापरा: सत्या: स राज्यफलमश्रुते
samaduḥkhasukhā yasya sahāyāḥ priyakāriṇaḥ | arthacintāparāḥ satyāḥ sa rājyaphalam aśnute ||
ビーシュマは言った。「王の伴侶たちが、王の喜びを己の喜びとし、王の悲しみを己の悲しみとして分かち合い、常に王の心を喜ばせることに努め、国の財を増やすことに怠りなく心を配り、真実に堅く立つとき、その王は王権の果実を真に味わう。忠誠にして慎重、かつ誠実な助け手こそ、統治を実り多く安定させる。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s rule becomes fruitful when his aides are empathetic (sharing his joys and sorrows), loyal in seeking his good, prudent in safeguarding and increasing state resources, and unwaveringly truthful. Such counsel and character are presented as the practical foundation of successful kingship.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma advises on the conditions for stable and beneficial rule. Here he highlights the moral and administrative qualities required in a king’s close associates—ministers and companions—whose conduct directly determines whether the king truly gains the ‘fruit’ of sovereignty.