Shloka 11
Chapter 81: Trust, Allies, and the Qualifications of the King’s Artha-Secretary (अर्थसचिव)
अकालमृत्युर्विश्वासो विश्वसन् हि विपद्यते । यस्मिन् करोति विश्वासमिच्छतस्तस्य जीवति
akālamṛtyur viśvāso viśvasan hi vipadyate | yasmin karoti viśvāsam icchatas tasya jīvati ||
Bhishma said: Trust can bring an untimely death; for one who places faith too readily is indeed ruined. Yet the person in whom one chooses to place trust lives on—benefiting from that confidence.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma warns that indiscriminate trust can lead to disaster—even ‘untimely death’—because the trusting person becomes vulnerable. At the same time, the one who receives that trust may thrive, showing the asymmetry of risk: trust can endanger the giver while benefiting the recipient.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and practical conduct, Bhīṣma offers counsel on worldly wisdom (nīti): how a person should be cautious in placing confidence in others, since misplaced reliance can bring harm.