Shloka 19
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
व्यायामशीला सततं कुलपुत्रा: कुलोद्वहा: । दोषै: प्रमुक्ता: प्रथितास्ते ग्राह्मा: पार्थिवैर्नरा:
vyāyāmaśīlāḥ satataṃ kulaputrāḥ kulodvahāḥ | doṣaiḥ pramuktāḥ prathitās te grāhyāḥ pārthivair narāḥ ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Dapat lapitan at tanggapin ng mga hari ang mga lalaking laging masikap sa disiplinadong pagsisikap, isinilang sa mabubuting angkan at kayang itaguyod ang dangal ng kanilang lahi; malaya sa kapintasan at tanyag sa mga tao. Ang mga ganitong tao—matatag, may kakayahan, at iginagalang ng madla—ay nararapat tanggapin bilang mga kaalyado at kaibigan sa gawain ng matuwid na pamamahala.”
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.