Shloka 11
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
ददतश्न यथाशक्ति यो न तुष्यति मन्दधी: । अधीैर्यमपि यो युद्धक्ते सदा मित्र नरर्षभ
bhīṣma uvāca | dadataś ca yathāśakti yo na tuṣyati mandadhīḥ | adhīryam api yo yunkte sadā mitre naraṛṣabha ||
Bhishma said: O bull among men, one who, even when given to according to one’s capacity, remains dissatisfied—being of dull understanding—and who continually injects impatience and loss of composure into a friendship, is not fit to be bound by alliance. Such a person’s nature is to corrode trust: he is never content with fair help, and he unsettles even well-wishing friends; therefore one should avoid making a pact with him and with those who habitually look for faults in others. Now I shall describe those who are worthy of alliance—listen.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not form alliances with people who are chronically dissatisfied even when treated fairly and who destabilize friendships by fostering impatience and distrust; such dispositions undermine dharma and practical security.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on statecraft and conduct, Bhishma advises the listener about whom one should not make a pact with, warning against unreliable, discontented, and friendship-corrupting individuals, and then transitions to describing those fit for alliance.