Shloka 54
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
धर्मार्थकामज्ञमुपेत्य पृच्छेद् युक्तो गुरु ब्राह्मणमुत्तरार्थम् । निष्ठा कृता तेन यदा सहः स्यात् त॑ मन्त्रमार्ग प्रणयेदसक्त:,राजा सावधान होकर धर्म, अर्थ और कामके ज्ञाता ब्राह्मणगुरुक समीप जा उनका उत्तर जाननेके लिये उनकी राय पूछे। जब वे कोई निर्णय दे दें और वह सब लोगोंको एक मतसे स्वीकार हो जाय, तब राजा दूसरे किसी विचारमें न पड़कर उसी मन्त्रमार्ग (विचारपद्धति) को कार्यरूपमें परिणत करे
dharmārthakāmajñam upetya pṛcched yukto guru-brāhmaṇam uttarārtham | niṣṭhā kṛtā tena yadā sahaḥ syāt taṁ mantramārgaṁ praṇayed asaktaḥ ||
Bhishma said: Let a king, vigilant and self-controlled, approach a Brahmin preceptor who is learned in dharma, artha, and kāma, and inquire in order to obtain a decisive answer. When that teacher has settled the matter and a firm conclusion is reached with the concurrence of the council, the king should not wander into other lines of thought; remaining unattached, he should implement that very course of counsel as policy and action.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should seek guidance from a qualified, ethically grounded teacher skilled in dharma, artha, and kāma; once a sound consensus decision is reached, the ruler should implement it steadily, without being swayed by competing opinions or personal attachment.
In Bhishma’s instruction on rājadharma in the Śānti Parva, he outlines a practical protocol for kingship: approach a learned Brahmin preceptor, ask for a clear ruling, confirm a settled conclusion with collective agreement, and then execute that counsel as state policy.