Shloka 31
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
व्यथयेद्धि स राजानं मन्त्रिभि: सहितोडनृजु: । मारुतोपहितच्छिद्रे: प्रविश्याग्निरिव द्रुमम्
vyathayed dhi sa rājānaṃ mantribhiḥ sahito 'nṛjuḥ | mārutopahita-chidraiḥ praviśyāgnir iva drumam ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Ang baluktot at mapanlinlang na ministro—kapag nalaman na ang lihim na pagninilay ng hari—ay makikipagsabwatan sa iba pang mga ministro at pahihirapan ang hari, gaya ng apoy na pumapasok sa punò sa mga siwang na hinahampas ng hangin at tinutupok ang buong punò.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s confidential counsel is a vital safeguard of governance; if a dishonest minister gains access to secrets and allies with others, he can destroy the king’s stability from within—like wind-fed fire exploiting small openings to consume an entire tree.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on rājadharma, he warns about internal threats in the court: a crooked minister who learns secret deliberations can collaborate with other ministers to distress and undermine the king, illustrated through the vivid metaphor of fire entering a tree through wind-assisted gaps.