Shloka 37
Ārjava, Satya, and the Virocana–Sudhanvan Exemplum
Udyoga-parva 35
न तम्मित्र॑ं यस्य कोपाद् बिभेति यद् वा मित्र शड़कितेनोपचर्यम् । यस्मिन् मित्रे पितरीवाश्वसीत तद् वै मित्र सड़तानीतराणि
na tan mitraṁ yasya kopād bibheti yad vā mitra śaṅkitena upacaryam | yasmin mitre pitarīva āśvasīta tad vai mitraṁ saṅgatāni itarāṇi ||
Vidura spricht: Kein wahrer Freund ist, wessen Zorn Furcht erregt, oder wem man nur mit Misstrauen dienen kann. Ein Freund ist der, dem man wie einem Vater vertrauen darf; die übrigen sind bloß Gefährten, die das Schicksal zusammenführt.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A genuine friend is defined by safety and trust: if someone’s anger inspires fear or if one must deal with them suspiciously, that relationship is not true friendship. True friendship resembles the secure confidence one has in a father; others are merely companions or convenient associates.
In the Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers moral and political counsel during the tense pre-war negotiations. Here he clarifies the standard of ‘mitra’ (friend) to guide right judgment in alliances and relationships, distinguishing trustworthy well-wishers from merely strategic or unstable associates.