वृद्धमित्रो ह्यमित्रोद्धारी पार्ष्णिग्राहमुच्छिन्द्यात् नेतरः स्वपक्षोपघाती ॥ कZ_०७.१३.१९ ॥
vṛddhamitro hy amitroddhārī pārṣṇigrāham ucchindyāt na itaraḥ svapakṣopaghātī
Seorang sahabat lama yang (kini) mengangkat musuh hendaklah memutuskan musuh dari belakang; pilihan lain akan mencederakan pihak sendiri.
Because legacy alliances carry accumulated trust and interdependence; preserving the relationship by removing the spoiler is preferable to actions that fracture one’s own camp.