Shloka 19
Adhyāya 90 — Protection of Livelihoods, Brahmanical Subsistence Norms, and Royal Oversight (राष्ट्रवृत्ति-राष्ट्रगुप्ति-उपदेशः)
एकान्तेन हि सर्वेषां न शक््यं तात रोचितुम् । मित्रामित्रमथो मध्यं सर्वभूतेषु भारत,तात! किसीका कोई भी काम सबको सर्वथा अच्छा ही लगे, ऐसा सम्भव नहीं है, भरतनन्दन! सभी प्राणियोंके शत्रु, मित्र और मध्यस्थ होते हैं
ekāntena hi sarveṣāṃ na śakyaṃ tāta rocitum | mitrāmitram atho madhyaṃ sarvabhūteṣu bhārata ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Mon enfant, il n’est pas possible de plaire à tous d’une manière absolue. Ô Bhārata, parmi tous les êtres, il en est qui sont amis, d’autres ennemis, et d’autres encore demeurent neutres.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches political and ethical realism: a ruler or moral agent cannot expect universal approval, because society naturally contains friends, enemies, and neutrals. Therefore one should act according to dharma and sound judgment rather than chasing unanimous praise.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and governance after the war. Here he frames a basic social truth—inevitable diversity of interests and attitudes among beings—to guide Yudhiṣṭhira’s expectations and decision-making.