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Shloka 18

Śaṅkha–Likhita Upākhyāna: Daṇḍa, Confession, and the Purification of Kingship (शङ्ख-लिखितोपाख्यानम्)

व्यवहारेषु धर्मेषु योक्तव्याश्व॒ बहुशुता: । (प्रमाणज्ञा महीपाल न्यायशास्त्रावलम्बिन: । वेदार्थतत्त्वविद्‌ राज॑स्तर्कशास्त्रबहुश्रुता: ।।

vyavahāreṣu dharmeṣu yoktavyāś ca bahuśrutāḥ | pramāṇajñā mahīpāla nyāyaśāstrāvalambinaḥ | vedārthatattvavido rājas tarkaśāstrabahuśrutāḥ || mantre ca vyavahāre ca niyoktavyā vijānatā | guṇayukte 'pi naikasmin viśvaset vicakṣaṇaḥ ||

Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Sa mga usapin ng batas at dharma, dapat italaga ng hari ang mga taong malawak ang pagkatuto—yaong nakaaalam ng wastong mga paraan ng pagpapatunay, umaasa sa disiplina ng hurisprudensiya, nauunawaan ang tunay na diwa ng Veda, at sanay sa pangangatwiran. Ang isang mapanuring pinuno ay dapat gumamit ng gayong mga taong may kaalaman kapwa sa pagpapayo at sa pamamahala. At kahit ang isang tao ay magmukhang sagana sa mga kabutihan, hindi dapat ilagak ng marunong ang buong pagtitiwala sa iisang tao lamang.

व्यवहारेषुin legal/administrative dealings
व्यवहारेषु:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootव्यवहार
FormMasculine, Locative, Plural
धर्मेषुin duties/laws
धर्मेषु:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootधर्म
FormMasculine, Locative, Plural
योक्तव्याःare to be appointed/engaged
योक्तव्याः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootयुज्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural, Gerundive (तव्यत्), passive obligation
बहुश्रुताःwell-versed/learned
बहुश्रुताः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootबहुश्रुत
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural

वैशम्पायन उवाच

V
Vaiśampāyana
M
mahīpāla (the king, addressed)
R
rājan (the king, addressed)

Educational Q&A

A ruler should staff counsel and administration with broadly educated experts—skilled in standards of proof, jurisprudence, Vedic meaning, and disciplined reasoning—and should avoid concentrating trust and authority in a single individual, however virtuous.

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous governance, Vaiśampāyana relays counsel directed to a king: how to choose qualified advisers and officials for legal and administrative work, emphasizing expertise and prudent distribution of trust.