Shloka 50
मृदु-तीक्ष्ण-नीति तथा दुष्टलक्षण-विज्ञानम्
Measured Policy and the Recognition of Malicious Disposition
आर्टिरर्ते प्रिये प्रीतिरेतावन्मित्रलक्षणम् । विपरीतं तु बोद्धव्यमरिलक्षणमेव तत्
ārtiḥ arte priye prītir etāvan mitra-lakṣaṇam | viparītaṁ tu boddhavyam ari-lakṣaṇam eva tat ||
Bhishma berkata: “Merasa pedih ketika sahabat tertimpa pedih, dan merasa gembira ketika sahabat bergembira—itulah tanda seorang sahabat sejati. Sifat yang berlawanan harus dipahami sebagai tanda seorang musuh.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A true friend is empathetically aligned with you—sharing your sorrow in hardship and your joy in success; someone who rejoices at your suffering or suffers at your joy bears the disposition of an enemy.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhīṣma defines practical criteria to distinguish a genuine friend from an enemy based on emotional response to another’s fortune and misfortune.