Śānti Parva 116: Criteria for Royal Servants and Administrative Competence (भृत्य-गुण-प्रश्नः / राजसेवक-लक्षणम्)
व्यवहारक्ष नगरे यस्य कर्मफलोदय: । दृश्यते शंखलिखित: स धर्मफलभाडू नृप:
vyavahārakṣa nagare yasya karmaphalodayaḥ | dṛśyate śaṅkhalikhitaḥ sa dharmaphalabhāg nṛpaḥ ||
ພີດສະມະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ກະສັດຜູ້ຖືກນັບວ່າແບ່ງປັນຜົນແຫ່ງທຳ ແມ່ນຜູ້ທີ່ໃນເມືອງຂອງພຣະອົງ ເຫັນໄດ້ຊັດເຈນການບໍລິຫານຄວາມຍຸດຕິທຳຢ່າງເປັນລະບຽບ—ຕາມທີ່ລະບຸໄວ້ໂດຍລະສີ ສັງຄະ ແລະ ລິຂິຕະ—ໃຫ້ຜົນຕອບແທນສອດຄ່ອງກັບກຳຂອງແຕ່ລະຄົນ. ບຸນຂອງຜູ້ປົກຄອງຢູ່ທີ່ການຮັກສາລະບຽບສາທາລະນະໃຫ້ກົດແຫ່ງກຳເກີດຜົນຜ່ານການປົກຄອງທີ່ຍຸດຕິທຳ.
भीष्म उवाच
A ruler gains merit not merely by personal piety but by sustaining a just legal order in which people receive outcomes aligned with their actions; upholding fair, dharma-based administration makes the king a participant in the fruits of Dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction on royal duty in the Śānti Parva, he praises the king whose city visibly follows the judicial norms attributed to the sages Śaṅkha and Likhita, ensuring that justice and karmic accountability are effectively realized through governance.