Shloka 6
Chapter 81: Trust, Allies, and the Qualifications of the King’s Artha-Secretary (अर्थसचिव)
चतुर्णा मध्यमौ श्रेष्टी नित्यं शड्क्यौ तथापरौ । सर्वे नित्यं शड्कितव्या: प्रत्यक्ष कार्यमात्मन:
caturṇā madhyamau śreṣṭī nityaṁ śaṅkyau tathāparau | sarve nityaṁ śaṅkitavyāḥ pratyakṣa-kāryam ātmanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Parmi les quatre sortes d’amis, les deux “du milieu” sont tenues pour les meilleures : ceux qui s’attachent par choix et ceux dont l’affection est naturelle. Pourtant, des deux autres il faut toujours se garder. En vérité, en tenant clairement en vue son propre dessein pratique, on doit demeurer sans cesse vigilant envers toute sorte d’ami. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when some friends are genuinely good, one should not become careless; practical self-interest and discernment require steady vigilance in all friendships.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma and nīti in the Śānti Parva, he classifies friends into four types, praises the two ‘middle’ kinds as best, yet urges constant caution—especially toward the remaining two—and, in principle, toward all.