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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.94.17
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 94: Rāma questions Bharata’s governance. He asks after the family, advisers, spies, troop provisions, water, revenue and impartial justice, still unaware of Daśaratha’s death
In the sequence: he stresses the value of a single wise adviser over many incapable ones
2.94.17
kaccit sahasrān mūrkhāṇām ekam icchasi paṇḍitam
paṇḍito hy arthakṛcchreṣu kuryān niḥśreyasaṃ mahat
Do you prefer one learned man to a thousand fools? For in times of dire need a learned man can accomplish great good.
Words: kaccit — is it that; sahasrān — than a thousand; mūrkhāṇām — of fools; ekam — one; icchasi — you prefer, desire; paṇḍitam — a learned man; paṇḍito — the learned man; hy — for; arthakṛcchreṣu — in dire straits of affairs; kuryān — could do; niḥśreyasaṃ — the highest good; mahat — great
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.