Shloka 10
मयूरवद्राजधर्मः (Mayūra-vat Rāja-dharma) — The Peacock-Model of Protective Kingship
न्यग्भूतास्तत्परा: शान्ताश्वौक्षा: प्रकृतिजै: शुभा: । स्वस्थानानपक्ुष्टा ये ते स्यू राज्ञां बहिश्वचरा:
nyagbhūtās tatparāḥ śāntāś caukṣāḥ prakṛtijaiḥ śubhāḥ | svasthānān apakuṣṭā ye te syū rājñāṃ bahiścarāḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: Those who are humble, devoted to their duty, calm in temperament, discerning and capable, endowed with innate auspicious qualities, and free from blame in their own appointed posts—such persons alone are fit to serve kings as external attendants and agents. The ethical point is that royal service, especially in outward-facing roles, must rest on self-discipline, competence, and unimpeachable conduct rather than mere proximity to power.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that those entrusted with a king’s external service or agency must be humble, duty-focused, calm, discerning, naturally virtuous, and of spotless reputation in their own office; moral character and competence are prerequisites for proximity to royal power.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous governance. Here he specifies the qualities required for outward-facing royal attendants/agents, emphasizing disciplined temperament and blameless conduct as safeguards for the kingdom.