Shloka 253
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पश्चात्तापः तथा वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse and Request for Forest-Retirement
अभेदे च गुणा राजन् पुन: पुनररिंदम । 'शत्रुदमन नरेश! गुप्त मन्त्रणा फ़ूट जानेपर जो दोष पैदा होते हैं और न फूटनेसे जो लाभ होते हैं, उनको तुम मन्त्रिमण्डलके समक्ष बारंबार बतलाते रहना
abhede ca guṇā rājan punaḥ punar arindama | śatrudamana nareśa gupta-mantraṇā-phūṭa-jāne para yo doṣaḥ prajāyate na phūṭane ca yo lābhaḥ tau mantri-maṇḍalasya samakṣaṃ bāraṃbāraṃ vaktavyau ||
Вайшампаяна сказал: «О царь, сокрушитель врагов, вновь и вновь внушай своему совету министров достоинства нераздельно хранимого совета. Снова и снова ставь перед ними вред, возникающий, когда тайные совещания просачиваются наружу, и пользу, что следует, когда они не разглашаются.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must safeguard confidential counsel: he should repeatedly teach his ministers the virtues of unity and discretion, warning them of the harms caused by leaked deliberations and highlighting the benefits of secrecy for stable governance.
Vaiśampāyana reports an instruction in the context of royal conduct: the addressed king is urged to continually admonish his ministerial council about maintaining secrecy in state deliberations, emphasizing consequences of disclosure versus the advantages of keeping counsel protected.