Shloka 7
Śānti Parva 116: Criteria for Royal Servants and Administrative Competence (भृत्य-गुण-प्रश्नः / राजसेवक-लक्षणम्)
तस्य भृत्या विगुणतां यान्ति सर्वे कुलोद्वता: । न च भृत्यफलैरर्थ: स राजा सम्प्रयुज्यते
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
tasya bhṛtyā viguṇatāṁ yānti sarve kulodbhavāḥ |
na ca bhṛtyaphalair arthaḥ sa rājā samprayujyate ||
ആ രാജാവിന്റെ ഉത്തമകുലജന്മമുള്ള ഭൃത്യന്മാർ എല്ലാവരും ദുഷ്ഗുണങ്ങളിലേക്കു വീഴുന്നു; ഭൃത്യരെ നിലനിർത്തുന്നതിലൂടെ ലഭിക്കേണ്ട ഫലം—ധനവർദ്ധനയും രാജ്യകാര്യങ്ങളുടെ സുസ്ഥിതിയും—ആ രാജാവിന് ലഭിക്കുകയില്ല.
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s personal lack of virtue and self-discipline spreads downward: even well-born attendants become morally degraded, and the king loses the practical benefits of a loyal, capable retinue—prosperity, order, and effective governance.
In the Śānti Parva’s discussion of rājadharma, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on how a king’s character shapes his household and administration, stating that when the king is flawed, his servants also become flawed and the king fails to gain the expected advantages from employing them.