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 ||
ਉਸ ਰਾਜੇ ਦੇ ਉੱਚ ਕੁਲ ਵਿੱਚ ਜਨਮੇ ਸਾਰੇ ਸੇਵਕ ਦੁર્ગੁਣਾਂ ਵੱਲ ਡਿੱਗ ਪੈਂਦੇ ਹਨ; ਅਤੇ ਸੇਵਕ ਰੱਖਣ ਦਾ ਜੋ ਫਲ—ਧਨ ਦੀ ਵਾਧੀ ਅਤੇ ਰਾਜਕਾਜ ਦੀ ਸੁਚੱਜੀ ਵਿਵਸਥਾ—ਉਹ ਰਾਜੇ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੁੰਦਾ।
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.