Shloka 4
Chapter 81: Trust, Allies, and the Qualifications of the King’s Artha-Secretary (अर्थसचिव)
धर्मात्मा पञज्चमश्षापि मित्र नैकस्य न द्वयो: । यतो धर्मस्ततो वा स्याद् धर्मस्थो वा ततो भवेत्
bhīṣma uvāca | dharmātmā pañcamaś cāpi mitraṃ naikasya na dvayoḥ | yato dharmas tato vā syād dharmastho vā tato bhavet ||
ビーシュマは言った。「正しき者（ダルマに立つ者）もまた、第五の同盟者として数えられる。彼は一方にのみ与する偏党とはならず、また双方から報酬を受けて欺き、両方の友を装うこともない。真にダルマの存する側に身を寄せるか、さもなくばダルマに堅く立つ王に帰依する。ゆえに、その義人の心にかなわぬ企てを彼の前で明かしてはならぬ—勝利を求める王は、時にダルマの道を行き、時にアダルマの道を行くからである。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A truly righteous person cannot be bought into partisan or double-dealing friendship; he supports the side where dharma is, or a king who is dharma-abiding. Hence unethical plans should not be shared with such a person, because his loyalty is to dharma rather than to advantage.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and conduct, Bhishma advises about types of allies and counselors. He identifies the dharmātmā as a special kind of ally whose alignment follows dharma, and warns that kings seeking victory may alternate between dharma and adharma—making the presence of a dharma-bound advisor both a safeguard and a constraint.