Shloka 144
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
मित्रे वा यदि वा शत्रौ तस्यापि चलिता मति: । “जो मनुष्य स्वार्थके सम्बन्धका विचार किये बिना ही मित्रोंपर केवल विश्वास और शत्रुओंपर केवल अविश्वास करता जाता है तथा जो शत्रु हो या मित्र, जो सबके प्रति प्रेमभाव ही स्थापित करने लगता है, उसकी बुद्धि भी चंचल ही समझनी चाहिये || १४३ ई || चूहेकी सहायताके फलस्वरूप चाण्डालके जालसे बिलावकी मुक्ति नविश्वसेदविश्वस्ते विश्वस्ते नातिविश्वसेत्
mitre vā yadi vā śatrau tasyāpi calitā matiḥ | na viśvased aviśvaste viśvaste nātiviśvaset ||
Bhishma said: “Whether one deals with friend or foe, the mind of a person who moves by mere habit—trusting friends blindly and distrusting enemies blindly, without weighing self-interest and circumstance—remains unsteady. Therefore, do not trust the untrustworthy; and even the trustworthy should not be trusted to excess. (This counsel is illustrated in the tale that follows, of a cat freed from a Caṇḍāla’s net through the help of a mouse.)”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches measured trust: do not trust those who are untrustworthy, and even with trustworthy people avoid overconfidence. Blind trust in friends and automatic suspicion of enemies—without assessing motives and context—signals unstable judgment.
Bhishma is giving Yudhiṣṭhira practical nīti in the Śānti Parva. He frames the maxim about trust and then points to an illustrative story: a cat is freed from a Caṇḍāla’s net with the help of a mouse, showing how appearances and relationships can be deceptive and why discernment is necessary.