Shloka 19
Chapter 81: Trust, Allies, and the Qualifications of the King’s Artha-Secretary (अर्थसचिव)
क्षताद् भीतं विजानीयादुत्तमं मित्रलक्षणम् | ये तस्य क्षतमिच्छन्ति ते तस्य रिपव: स्मृता:
kṣatād bhītaṃ vijānīyād uttamaṃ mitralakṣaṇam | ye tasya kṣatam icchanti te tasya ripavaḥ smṛtāḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : Qu’on reconnaisse pour le signe le plus élevé d’un ami véritable celui qui tremble de crainte à la seule pensée que son allié puisse être blessé ou subir une perte. Ceux qui désirent son mal sont tenus pour ses ennemis. Dans l’ordre royal, l’ami est celui qui s’emploie—surtout dans les affaires du dharma—à préserver le souverain du déclin et, lorsque la prospérité survient, à promouvoir son bien-être selon ses moyens.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A true friend is defined by protective concern: he fears the king’s (or ally’s) loss as his own and actively works to prevent harm, especially in dharmic affairs. Whoever wishes the ruler’s damage is, by that intention, an enemy.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on how to judge allies and opponents. He gives a practical ethical criterion: the friend is the one who is anxious about your welfare and guards you from decline; those who seek your ruin are to be treated as foes.