Shloka 18
Chapter 81: Trust, Allies, and the Qualifications of the King’s Artha-Secretary (अर्थसचिव)
तं शक््त्या वर्धमानश्न सर्वतः परिबृंहयेत् । नित्यं क्षताद् वारयति यो धर्मेष्वपि कर्मसु
taṁ śaktyā vardhamānaś ca sarvataḥ paribṛṁhayet | nityaṁ kṣatād vārayati yo dharmeṣv api karmasu ||
Bhīṣma dit : «À mesure que croissent sa propre puissance et sa prospérité, on doit, selon ses moyens, affermir cette personne (le roi) et faire prospérer son bien-être de tous côtés. Est le véritable ami celui qui, même engagé dans des œuvres de dharma, s’efforce sans cesse de préserver le roi de la perte et s’alarme à la pensée de son malheur. Ceux qui souhaitent la perte et la ruine du roi doivent être tenus pour ses ennemis.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A true friend is defined by active, continual concern for the ruler’s welfare: using one’s growing capacity to strengthen him, and preventing his loss even while pursuing dharmic duties; those wishing the ruler’s ruin are enemies.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma and conduct, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on how to recognize genuine allies: friends protect and promote the king’s prosperity, whereas those who seek his harm are to be treated as foes.