Shloka 143
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
यो विश्वसिति मित्रेषु न विश्वसिति शत्रुषु । अर्थयुक्तिमविज्ञाय य: प्रीती कुरुते मन:
yo viśvasiti mitreṣu na viśvasiti śatruṣu | arthayuktim avijñāya yaḥ prītiṃ kurute manaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Celui qui fait confiance aux amis et ne fait pas confiance aux ennemis, mais qui, sans comprendre la véritable logique de l’avantage et du dessein, laisse son esprit s’attacher par l’affection—celui-là agit sans discernement.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Trust and affection should not arise merely from habit or emotion; they must be guided by understanding of artha-yukti—clear reasoning about motives, interests, and consequences. Without such discernment, even friendship can become a cause of harm.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and nīti. Here he warns about the dangers of forming attachment without first grasping the strategic and ethical rationale (artha-yukti) behind relationships of friendship and enmity.