Shloka 70
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
चिरकालतक सोच-विचार करके किसीके साथ मित्रता जोड़नी चाहिये और जिसे मित्र बना लिया, उसे सहसा नहीं छोड़ना चाहिये। यदि छोड़नेकी आवश्यकता पड़ ही जाय तो उसके परिणामपर चिरकालतक विचार कर लेना चाहिये। दीर्घकालतक सोच-विचार करके बनाया हुआ जो मित्र है, उसीकी मैत्री चिरकालतक टिक पाती है ।।
rāge darpe ca māne ca drohe pāpe ca karmaṇi | apriye caiva kartavye cirakārī praśasyate ||
One should form friendship only after long reflection, and once a friend has been accepted, one should not abandon him hastily. If separation truly becomes necessary, one should again deliberate for a long time on its consequences. Only a friendship forged with sustained consideration endures for long. Therefore, the person who does not rush—whether in passion, arrogance, wounded pride, betrayal, sinful action, or in doing what is displeasing to another—is praised as one who acts with due delay and restraint.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that lasting friendship and ethical conduct require deliberation: do not form bonds impulsively, do not break them hastily, and in general do not act quickly under passion, pride, or hostility. The praised person is the one who restrains impulse and considers consequences.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct after the war. Here he gives practical counsel on how to choose and preserve friendships and commends slow, considered action—especially when emotions or harmful impulses arise.