Shloka 53
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
तेषां त्रयाणां विविध॑ विमर्श विबुद्धय चित्तं विनिवेश्य तत्र । स्वनिश्ष॒यं त॑ परनिश्चष॒यं च निवेदयेदुत्तरमन्त्रकाले,राजा पहले सदा तीनों मन्त्रियोंकी पृथक्ू-पृथक् सलाह जानकर उसपर मनोयोगपूर्वक विचार करे। तत्पश्चात् बादमें होनेवाली मन्त्रणाके समय अपने तथा दूसरोंके निश्चयको राजगुरुकी सेवामें निवेदन करे
teṣāṃ trayāṇāṃ vividhaṃ vimarśaṃ vibuddhayaś cittaṃ viniveśya tatra | svaniścayaṃ ca paraniścayaṃ ca nivedayed uttara-mantra-kāle ||
Bhishma said: Having separately ascertained the diverse counsel of those three ministers, the king should apply his mind to it with clear discernment. Thereafter, at the time of the subsequent deliberation, he should report—before the royal preceptor—both his own conclusion and the conclusions of others. The ethical thrust is disciplined statecraft: careful listening, reflective judgment, and accountable disclosure in counsel rather than impulsive or secretive decision-making.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should hear counsel from multiple advisers separately, reflect with a clear mind, and then present both his own and others’ conclusions in an accountable forum (before the royal preceptor) during the next stage of deliberation—promoting prudence, transparency, and disciplined governance.
In Bhishma’s instruction on rajadharma in the Shanti Parva, he outlines a practical procedure for royal decision-making: gather distinct opinions from three ministers, contemplate them carefully, and then formally communicate the resulting judgments at the subsequent council, with the guru as an ethical anchor.