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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.94.19
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
2.94.19
eko 'py amātyo medhāvī śūro dakṣo vicakṣaṇaḥ
rājānaṃ rājamātraṃ vā prāpayen mahatīṃ śriyam
Even a single minister who is wise, brave, capable, and discerning can bring a king, or a king's deputy, to great fortune.
Words: eko — one; 'py — even; amātyo — minister; medhāvī — wise, intelligent; śūro — brave; dakṣo — capable; vicakṣaṇaḥ — discerning; rājānaṃ — a king; rājamātraṃ — a mere king's officer, deputy; vā — or; prāpayen — could bring to; mahatīṃ — great; śriyam — fortune, prosperity
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.