Canto 2: Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa ()Chapter 100: Rāma Instructs Bharata About the Duties of a KingText 2.100.72
Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 100: Rāma Instructs Bharata About the Duties of a King
Text 2.100.72
मन्त्रिभिस्त्वं यथोद्दिष्टैश्चतुर्भिस्त्रिभिरेव वा।
कच्चित्समस्तैर्व्यस्तैश्च मन्त्रं मन्त्रयसे मिथः॥
mantribhis tvaṁ yathoddiṣṭaiś caturbhis tribhir eva vā
kaccit samastair vyastaiś ca mantraṁ mantrayase mithaḥ
mantribhiḥ = from qualified ministers; tvam = You; yathā-uddiṣṭaiḥ = appropriately; caturbhiḥ = four; tribhiḥ eva = three; vā = or; kaccit = do; samastaiḥ = together; vyastaiḥ = individually; ca = and then; mantram = counsel; mantrayase = receive; mithaḥ = confidentially.
Do You confidentially receive counsel from three or four appropriately qualified ministers individually and then together?
1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: nīti-śāstrokta-mantra-vicāra-mārgam anatikramyety arthaḥ.
Yathoddiṣṭaiḥ (“with appropriately qualified ministers”) indicates that the ministers were meant to be characterized by the characteristics of ministers described in the scriptures.
In some manuscripts, yathoddiṣṭam appears instead of yathoddiṣṭaiḥ indicating that the counsel should not transgress the Artha-śāstra.1
Caturbhis tribhir eva vā (“with three or four”) indicates that if there were many counselors, many advices might be brought about and there might be no unanimity [among the counselors]. [Therefore, it is restricted to three or four.]
Rāma next asks Bharata about those things which kings should certainly accomplish.