Shloka 18
Śānti Parva 116: Criteria for Royal Servants and Administrative Competence (भृत्य-गुण-प्रश्नः / राजसेवक-लक्षणम्)
समदुःखसुखा यस्य सहाया: प्रियकारिण: । अर्थचिन्तापरा: सत्या: स राज्यफलमश्रुते
samaduḥkhasukhā yasya sahāyāḥ priyakāriṇaḥ | arthacintāparāḥ satyāḥ sa rājyaphalam aśnute ||
Bhishma berkata: “Raja itu benar-benar menikmati buah kedaulatan apabila para pembantunya sama-sama merasai suka dan duka bersamanya, sentiasa berusaha melakukan apa yang menyenangkan hatinya, berjaga-jaga dalam memikirkan pertambahan kekayaan negeri, dan teguh berpegang pada kebenaran. Para pembantu yang setia, berhemah, dan jujur demikian menjadikan pemerintahan berbuah serta stabil.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s rule becomes fruitful when his aides are empathetic (sharing his joys and sorrows), loyal in seeking his good, prudent in safeguarding and increasing state resources, and unwaveringly truthful. Such counsel and character are presented as the practical foundation of successful kingship.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma advises on the conditions for stable and beneficial rule. Here he highlights the moral and administrative qualities required in a king’s close associates—ministers and companions—whose conduct directly determines whether the king truly gains the ‘fruit’ of sovereignty.