Shloka 15
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
(विद्वांस:क्षत्रिया वैश्या ब्राह्मणाश्व बहुश्रुता: । दण्डनीतौ तु निष्पन्ना मन्त्रिण: पृथिवीपते ।।
bhīṣma uvāca |
vidvāṃsaḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyā brāhmaṇāś ca bahuśrutāḥ |
daṇḍanītau tu niṣpannā mantriṇaḥ pṛthivīpate ||
praṣṭavyo brāhmaṇaḥ pūrvaṃ nītiśāstrasya tattvavit |
paścāt pṛcchet bhūpālaḥ kṣatriyaṃ nītikovidam ||
vaiśyaśūdrāv tathā bhūyaḥ śāstrajñau hitakāriṇau |
ajñāyamāne hīnatve sandhiṃ kuryāt pareṇa vai |
lipsur vā kañcid evārthaṃ tvaramāṇo vicakṣaṇaḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。「大地の主よ、多くの教えに通じ、ダンダニーティ（daṇḍanīti：統治と刑罰の学）に熟達した学識あるクシャトリヤ、ヴァイシャ、ブラーフマナは、宰相として任ずべきである。まず王は、ニーティ・シャーストラの要諦を知る賢明なブラーフマナに諮り、次いで政略に通じたクシャトリヤに問うがよい。その後さらに、実務の教えを知り王の利益に尽くすヴァイシャとシュードラの意見も聴くべきである。加えて、自らの弱みが露見する前に、敵と和約を結ぶべきであり、その和約によって何らかの目的が果たせるなら、賢王は急ぎ行い、決して遅らせてはならぬ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should build a competent council drawn from multiple social groups, prioritizing principled ethical insight (Brahmin), then strategic-political expertise (Kshatriya), and then practical welfare-oriented counsel (Vaishya and Shudra). In diplomacy, prudence requires making peace or alliance before one’s weakness becomes visible, especially when it secures a concrete objective.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira principles of governance: how to select and consult ministers in an ordered way, and how to act swiftly in forming treaties with opponents when strategic conditions demand it.