Shloka 54
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
धर्मार्थकामज्ञमुपेत्य पृच्छेद् युक्तो गुरु ब्राह्मणमुत्तरार्थम् । निष्ठा कृता तेन यदा सहः स्यात् त॑ मन्त्रमार्ग प्रणयेदसक्त:
dharmārthakāmajñam upetya pṛcched yukto guru-brāhmaṇam uttarārtham | niṣṭhā kṛtā tena yadā sahaḥ syāt taṁ mantramārgaṁ praṇayed asaktaḥ ||
毗湿摩说：国王当警醒自持，亲近通达法（dharma）、利（artha）与欲（kāma）的婆罗门王师，发问以求决断之答。待师长既已裁定其事，议会亦同心达成坚固之结论时，国王不应再游移于他途之思；当以无执之心，将此一议策之道落实为政令与行动。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should seek guidance from a qualified, ethically grounded teacher skilled in dharma, artha, and kāma; once a sound consensus decision is reached, the ruler should implement it steadily, without being swayed by competing opinions or personal attachment.
In Bhishma’s instruction on rājadharma in the Śānti Parva, he outlines a practical protocol for kingship: approach a learned Brahmin preceptor, ask for a clear ruling, confirm a settled conclusion with collective agreement, and then execute that counsel as state policy.