Shloka 17
दुर्ग-निवेश-राजधर्मः | Fortified Capital and the King’s Residential Polity
Rājadharma
प्राज्ञा मेधाविनो दान्ता दक्षा: शूरा बहुश्रुता: । कुलीना: सत्त्वसम्पन्ना युक्ता: सर्वेषु कर्मसु
prājñā medhāvino dāntā dakṣāḥ śūrā bahuśrutāḥ | kulīnāḥ sattva-sampannā yuktāḥ sarveṣu karmasu ||
Bhishma berkata: “Dalam setiap tugas dan urusan, hendaklah diamanahkan dengan sewajarnya kepada orang-orang yang bijaksana dan tajam pertimbangan, mampu mengawal diri, cekap dan berkesan, berani, luas ilmunya, berketurunan baik, serta teguh wataknya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler or leader should assign responsibilities only to suitably qualified people—those marked by wisdom, learning, self-control, competence, courage, good conduct, and moral steadiness—so that public duties are carried out in harmony with dharma.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous governance and practical statecraft; here he lists the virtues of men who should be appointed to various tasks and offices.