the kingdom, who is pure
and righteous in all his acts, deserves to be consulted by the king. One
who is endued with knowledge and wisdom, who is acquainted with the
dispositions of his friends and foes, who is such a friend of the king as
to be his second self, deserves to be consulted. One who is truthful in
speech and modest and mild and who is a hereditary servant of the king,
deserves to be consulted. One who is contented and honoured, who is
truthful and dignified, who hates wickedness and wicked men, who is
conversant with policy and the requirements of time, and who is
courageous, deserves to be consulted by the king. One who is competent to
win over all men by conciliation should be consulted, O monarch, by the
king that is desirous of ruling according to the dictates of the science
of chastisement. One upon whom the inhabitants of both the capital and
the provinces repose confidence for his righteous conduct, who is
competent to fight and conversant with the rules of policy, deserves to
be consulted by the king. Therefore, men possessed of such qualities, men
conversant with the dispositions of all and desirous of achieving high
acts, should be honoured by the king and made his ministers. Their number
also should not be less than three.[246] Ministers should be employed in
observing the laches of their masters, of themselves, of the subjects,
and of the foes of their master. The kingdom has its root in the counsels
of policy that flow from ministers, and its growth proceeds from the same
source. Ministers should act in such a way that the enemies of their
master may not be able to detect his laches. On the other hand, when
their laches become visible, they should then be assailed. Like the
tortoise protecting its limbs by withdrawing them within its shell,
ministers should protect their own counsels. They should, even thus,
conceal their own laches. Those ministers of a kingdom that succeed in
concealing their counsels are said to be possessed of wisdom. Counsels
constitute the armour of a king, and the limbs of his subjects and
officers. A kingdom is said to have its roots in spies and secret agents,
and its strength is said to lie in counsels of policy. If masters and
ministers follow each other for deriving support from each other,
subduing pride and wrath, and vanity and envy, they may then both become
happy. A king should also consult with such ministers as are free from
the five kinds of deceit. Ascertain