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 ||
ビーシュマは言った。「四種の友のうち、最も優れているとされるのは中ほどの二種—自ら選んで結ぶ友と、生来の情により親しむ友である。だが残る二種には常に警戒を向けねばならぬ。まことに、自らの実際の目的を明らかに見据え、いかなる友の類にも絶えず用心しているべきである。」
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.