Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 27, Shloka 8
Adhyaya 27 — Madālasa’s Instruction to King Alarka: Royal Ethics, Self-Conquest, and Statecraft
विश्वासो न तु कर्तव्यो राज्ञा मित्राप्तबन्धुषु ।
कार्ययोगादमित्रेऽपि विश्वासीत नराधिपः ॥
viśvāso na tu kartavyo rājñā mitrāptabandhuṣu /
kāryayogād amitre 'pi viśvasīta narādhipaḥ
A king should not place blind trust even in friends, intimates, or relatives. Yet when the situation of affairs requires it, the lord of men may place trust even in an enemy.
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FAQs
Ethical governance requires discernment over sentiment: kinship and friendship are not guarantees of loyalty, while even adversaries can become functional partners under necessity—so long as vigilance remains.
Ancillary nīti material; outside pancalakṣaṇa classification.
Inner ‘friends’ (habitual preferences) can mislead; inner ‘enemies’ (difficult disciplines) can become allies when yoked to a purpose—suggesting a yogic re-framing of obstacles as instruments.