Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 50
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
मन्त्रगूढा हि राज्यस्य मन्त्रिणो ये मनीषिण: । मन्त्रसंहननो राजा मन्त्राज्ञानीतरे जना:
mantragūḍhā hi rājyasya mantriṇo ye manīṣiṇaḥ | mantrasaṃhananaḥ rājā mantrājñānītare janāḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：有智之臣，善能密藏国之谋议。因为谋议乃王之甲胄与凝聚之力；其余之人——诸成员与侍从——不过是议事之肢体与器具，并非真正通晓谋议者。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Effective and ethical governance depends on confidential, well-guarded counsel: wise ministers protect the kingdom by preserving secrecy, because strategic deliberation functions as the king’s defense and strength.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rāja-dharma, Bhishma advises the king on principles of administration, emphasizing that ministers must conceal state counsel and that not everyone involved in deliberations truly understands or should access it.