Shloka 6
Śānti Parva 116: Criteria for Royal Servants and Administrative Competence (भृत्य-गुण-प्रश्नः / राजसेवक-लक्षणम्)
यो हासत्प्रग्रहरति: स्नेहरागबलात्कृत: । इन्द्रियाणामनीशत्वादसज्जनबु भूषक:
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: yo hāsatpragraharatiḥ sneharāgabalāt kṛtaḥ | indriyāṇām anīśatvād asajjanabubhūṣakaḥ ||
ユディシュティラは言った。「ふさわしからぬ物を集めて蓄えることに執着し、愛着と欲情の力に引きずられ、感官を制し得ぬゆえに善人たらんとする志すら持たぬ王がいるなら、たとえ良家に生まれた家臣であっても、その王に仕えるうちに逆の悪しき性質を帯びてしまう。そのようなとき王は、家臣を置く本来の果—財の増大や国政の整然たる運び—をことごとく失うのである。」
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s lack of self-control and attachment to unworthy acquisitions corrupts the moral quality of his household and administration; therefore, mastery of the senses and aspiration toward goodness are essential for effective and prosperous governance.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a principle of political ethics: when a king is driven by craving and cannot restrain his senses, even well-born servants become perverted in conduct, and the king loses the practical benefits of maintaining a competent, loyal retinue.