Shloka 7
Śānti Parva 116: Criteria for Royal Servants and Administrative Competence (भृत्य-गुण-प्रश्नः / राजसेवक-लक्षणम्)
तस्य भृत्या विगुणतां यान्ति सर्वे कुलोद्वता: । न च भृत्यफलैरर्थ: स राजा सम्प्रयुज्यते,जो असदू वस्तुओंके संग्रहमें अनुरक्त है, स्नेह और रागके वशीभूत हो गया है और इन्द्रियोंपर वश न चलनेके कारण सज्जन बननेकी चेष्टा नहीं करता, उस राजाके उत्तम कुलमें उत्पन्न हुए समस्त सेवक भी विपरीत गुणवाले हो जाते हैं। ऐसी दशामें सेवकोंके रखनेका जो फल धनकी वृद्धि आदि है, उससे वह राजा सर्वथा वंचित रह जाता है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
tasya bhṛtyā viguṇatāṁ yānti sarve kulodbhavāḥ |
na ca bhṛtyaphalair arthaḥ sa rājā samprayujyate ||
尤提士提罗说道：“那位国王的仆从，纵出自高贵门第，也都堕入恶质；而那国王亦得不到设置臣仆之果——如财用增长与政务有序。”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s personal lack of virtue and self-discipline spreads downward: even well-born attendants become morally degraded, and the king loses the practical benefits of a loyal, capable retinue—prosperity, order, and effective governance.
In the Śānti Parva’s discussion of rājadharma, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on how a king’s character shapes his household and administration, stating that when the king is flawed, his servants also become flawed and the king fails to gain the expected advantages from employing them.