Shloka 5
Chapter 81: Trust, Allies, and the Qualifications of the King’s Artha-Secretary (अर्थसचिव)
यस्तस्यार्थों न रोचेत न तं तस्य प्रकाशयेत् । धर्माधर्मेण राजानश्नरन्ति विजिगीषव:
yastasyārtho na roceta na taṁ tasya prakāśayet | dharmādharmena rājānaḥ caranti vijigīṣavaḥ ||
ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: ຖ້າຂໍ້ເສນອ ຫຼື ເປົ້າໝາຍໃດໜຶ່ງ ບໍ່ເຂົ້າໃຈຫຼືບໍ່ຖືກໃຈຜູ້ມີທຳມະນັ້ນ ກໍບໍ່ຄວນເປີດເຜີຍໃຫ້ລາວຮູ້. ເພາະກະສັດຜູ້ມຸ່ງຫາການພິຊິດ ບໍ່ໄດ້ເຄື່ອນໄປດ້ວຍທາງດຽວ: ບາງຄັ້ງເດີນຕາມທຳມະ ແລະບາງຄັ້ງຕາມອະທຳມະ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ທີ່ປຶກສາຜູ້ຕັ້ງຢູ່ໃນທຳມະຢ່າງແທ້—ບໍ່ເຂົ້າຂ້າງ ແລະບໍ່ຮັບໃຊ້ສອງຝ່າຍເພາະຄ່າຈ້າງ—ຄວນເຂົ້າໄປຫາດ້ວຍເປົ້າໝາຍທີ່ຢືນຢູ່ໄດ້ໃນແສງແຫ່ງຄວາມຊອບທຳເທົ່ານັ້ນ.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not place unrighteous or dubious plans before a genuinely dharmic counsellor, because victory-seeking rulers may alternate between dharma and adharma; a righteous adviser should be engaged only in aims that can be pursued ethically.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship and counsel, Bhishma explains how rulers driven by conquest may shift between moral and immoral methods, and he advises discretion in what one discloses to a truly righteous person.