Shloka 22
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
क्रोधाच्च लोभमोहाभ्यां नानर्थे युवतीषु च । न दर्शयन्ति सुहृदो विश्वस्ता धर्मवत्सला:
krodhāc ca lobha-mohābhyāṃ nānarthe yuvatīṣu ca | na darśayanti suhṛdo viśvastā dharmavatsalāḥ ||
Bhishma said: Trusted friends who are devoted to dharma do not expose one to harm—whether it arises from anger, from greed and delusion, or from entanglement with young women.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A true, trusted friend devoted to dharma protects you from self-destructive impulses—especially anger, greed, delusion, and risky entanglements—by not encouraging or enabling actions that lead to harm.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhishma continues advising about ethical living and reliable companionship, defining the mark of a trustworthy friend as one who does not lead another into ruin through common moral failings.