Shloka 139
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
नास्ति जातु रिपुर्नाम मित्र नाम न विद्यते । सामर्थ्ययोगाज्जायन्ते मित्राणि रिपवस्तथा,“न कभी कोई शत्रु होता है और न मित्र होता है। आवश्यक शक्तिके सम्बन्धसे लोग एक दूसरेके मित्र और शत्रु हुआ करते हैं
nāsti jātu ripur nāma mitra nāma na vidyate | sāmarthyayogāj jāyante mitrāṇi ripavas tathā ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Na verdade, nunca há alguém que seja inerentemente um ‘inimigo’, nem existe alguém como ‘amigo’ por essência. Pela conjunção de poder, necessidade e circunstância, as pessoas passam a ser tidas como amigas—e do mesmo modo, como inimigas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Friendship and enmity are not fixed essences in people; they arise from changing alignments of power, interest, and circumstance. Therefore one should judge relationships with discernment rather than assuming permanent loyalty or permanent hostility.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on dharma and practical wisdom after the war. Here he frames alliances and rivalries as contingent, emphasizing how social and political relations shift according to capability and necessity.