Shloka 31
कपोत-लुब्धकसंवादः — Hunter’s Remorse and Renunciatory Resolve
विहीनं कर्मणान्यायं यः प्रगृह्नाति भूमिप: । उपायस्याविशेषज्ञं तद् वै क्षत्रं नपुंसकम्
vihīnaṃ karmaṇā nyāyaṃ yaḥ pragṛhṇāti bhūmipaḥ | upāyasyāviśeṣajñaṃ tad vai kṣatraṃ napuṃsakam ||
Bhīṣma disse: O rei que toma por ministro um homem sem conduta reta, sem senso de justiça e incapaz de discernir os meios e a estratégia para realizar os assuntos—tal poder kṣatriya do soberano é, na verdade, impotente.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Royal power becomes ineffective when a king relies on advisors who lack righteous conduct, justice, and strategic discernment; ethical competence in counsel is essential to legitimate and effective rule.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma warns about the consequences of poor ministerial selection, stating that a king who adopts an unjust and incompetent counselor renders his own sovereignty powerless.