Shloka 23
Bhṛtya-niyoga: Role-appropriate appointment of servants and protection of the royal treasury (भृत्यनियोगः कोशरक्षणं च)
राजा गुणशताकीर्ण एष्टव्यस्तादृशो भवेत् | योधाश्रैव मनुष्येन्द्र सर्वे गुणगणैर्वृता:
bhīṣma uvāca | rājā guṇaśatākīrṇa eṣṭavyas tādṛśo bhavet | yodhāś caiva manuṣyendra sarve guṇagaṇair vṛtāḥ |
毗湿摩说道：“具足百般德行、光耀其身的国王，才是为民福祉所当希求并择立的君主。噫，人中之主啊，辅佐他守护邦国的武士，也应同样具备卓越的德性群聚。因此，当为此任寻访善士；而欲求自身兴盛的君王，切不可轻慢、羞辱自己的兵士。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should be richly endowed with virtues, and his military supporters should also be men of strong character; for effective and righteous governance, the king must select good people for protection of the realm and must not insult or demean his soldiers, since their dignity and morale are integral to the kingdom’s security and the king’s own success.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma addresses the king (traditionally Yudhishthira) and lays down standards for governance: the ideal king is virtuous, and those who defend the state must likewise be qualified by good qualities; the passage emphasizes careful selection of personnel and respectful treatment of the army.