आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
न वश्चित् कस्यचिन्मित्रं न कश्नित् कस्यचिद्ू रिपु: | अर्थतस्तु निबद्धयन्ते मित्राणि रिपवस्तथा
na vaścit kasyacin mitraṁ na kaścit kasyacid ripuḥ | arthatastu nibaddhyante mitrāṇi ripavastathā ||
कोणीही कोणाचा जन्मतः मित्र नाही, आणि कोणीही कोणाचा जन्मतः शत्रू नाही. अर्थ-हितामुळेच मैत्री जुळते, तसेच वैरही बांधले जाते.
भीष्म उवाच
Bhīṣma teaches that social bonds like friendship and hostility are often contingent, shaped by artha (interest/advantage) rather than fixed, essential loyalties; therefore one should judge relationships realistically and ethically, not sentimentally.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and statecraft after the war; here he emphasizes the pragmatic basis on which alliances and rivalries commonly arise.