Shloka 197
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
नृषु तस्मादविश्वास: पुष्कलं हितमात्मन: । 'संक्षेपमें नीतिशास्त्रका सार यह है कि किसीका भी विश्वास न करना ही उत्तम माना गया है; इसलिये दूसरे लोगोंपर विश्वास न करनेमें ही अपना विशेष हित है ।।
nṛṣu tasmād aviśvāsaḥ puṣkalaṃ hitam ātmanaḥ | vadhyante na hi aviśvastāḥ śatrubhir durbalā api ||
ローマシャは言った。「ゆえに人の世において、他者に盲信を与えぬことは、自らの利益を守る大いなる楯である。たとえ弱き者であっても、警戒を保ち、軽信して油断しなければ、敵に容易く滅ぼされはしない。」
लोमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
In worldly dealings, one should avoid blind trust; cautious vigilance protects one’s welfare. Even a weak person becomes hard to harm when they do not give enemies an opening through credulity.
Lomaśa is presenting a nīti (practical ethical maxim) within the Shānti Parva’s instruction: he advises that prudent non-reliance on others is a form of self-guarding, especially in the presence of potential hostility.