Shloka 19
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
व्यायामशीला सततं कुलपुत्रा: कुलोद्वहा: । दोषै: प्रमुक्ता: प्रथितास्ते ग्राह्मा: पार्थिवैर्नरा:,जो कुलीन, बोलनेमें समर्थ, ज्ञान-विज्ञानमें कुशल, रूपवानू, गुणवान्ू, लोभहीन, काम करनेसे कभी न थकनेवाले, अच्छे मित्रोंसे सम्पन्न, कृतज्ञ, सर्वज्ञ, लोभसे दूर रहनेवाले, मधुरस्वभाववाले, सत्यप्रतिज्ञ, जितेन्द्रिय, सदा व्यायामशील, उत्तम कुलकी संतान, अपने कुलका भार वहन करनेमें समर्थ, दोषशून्य तथा लोकमें विख्यात हों--ऐसे मनुष्योंको राजा अपना मित्र बनावे
vyāyāmaśīlāḥ satataṃ kulaputrāḥ kulodvahāḥ | doṣaiḥ pramuktāḥ prathitās te grāhyāḥ pārthivair narāḥ ||
व्यायामशीलाः सततं कुलपुत्राः कुलोद्वहाः। दोषैः प्रमुक्ताः प्रथितास्ते ग्राह्याः पार्थिवैर्नराः॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should choose associates and friends who are disciplined and industrious, well-born and responsible, free from moral defects, and publicly reputable—because such character supports stable and righteous governance.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on royal duty, Bhishma continues advising on statecraft and ethics, specifying the kind of men a king should accept into his circle—those known for discipline, good lineage, and faultless conduct.