Shloka 143
यो विश्वसिति मित्रेषु न विश्वसिति शत्रुषु । अर्थयुक्तिमविज्ञाय य: प्रीती कुरुते मन:
yo viśvasiti mitreṣu na viśvasiti śatruṣu | arthayuktim avijñāya yaḥ prītiṃ kurute manaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “He who places trust among friends and does not place trust among enemies—yet, without understanding the true logic of advantage and purpose, lets his mind form affection—such a person acts without discernment.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Trust and affection should not arise merely from habit or emotion; they must be guided by understanding of artha-yukti—clear reasoning about motives, interests, and consequences. Without such discernment, even friendship can become a cause of harm.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and nīti. Here he warns about the dangers of forming attachment without first grasping the strategic and ethical rationale (artha-yukti) behind relationships of friendship and enmity.