Shloka 10
Chapter 81: Trust, Allies, and the Qualifications of the King’s Artha-Secretary (अर्थसचिव)
एकान्तेन हि विश्वास: कृत्स्नो धर्मार्थनाशक: । अविश्वासश्च सर्वत्र मृत्युना च विशिष्यते
ekāntena hi viśvāsaḥ kṛtsno dharmārthanāśakaḥ | aviśvāsaś ca sarvatra mṛtyunā ca viśiṣyate ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Ang lubos na pagtitiwala sa isang tao ay maaaring ganap na sumira sa dharma at sa kagalingang materyal. Ngunit ang pagdududa sa lahat, sa bawat pagkakataon, ay higit pang masama—mas mapanira kaysa kamatayan. Kaya ang marurunong ay tumatahak sa gitnang landas sa pagitan ng bulag na pananampalataya at pangkalahatang hinala.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Avoid extremes: blind, total trust can destroy both moral standing (dharma) and practical well-being (artha), but universal distrust is even more ruinous. Discernment and measured confidence are the ethical mean.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and governance after the war. Here he offers a practical moral warning about how trust and suspicion affect one’s life, relationships, and stability.