Shloka 162
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
सा गता सह तेनैव कालयुक्तेन हेतुना । “पहले जब उपयुक्त कारण था, तब हम दोनोंमें मैत्री हो गयी थी, किंतु कालने जिसे उपस्थित कर दिया था उस कारणके निवृत्त होनेके साथ ही वह मैत्री भी चली गयी ।।
sā gatā saha tenaiva kālayuktena hetunā | tvaṁ hi me jātitaḥ śatruḥ sāmarthyān mitratāṁ gataḥ ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Tình bằng hữu ấy cũng qua đi, cùng với chính nguyên do mà Thời gian đã đưa đến. Bởi theo huyết thống, ngươi vốn là kẻ thù của ta; chỉ nhờ năng lực và thế cuộc mà ngươi mới bước vào địa vị bằng hữu.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights the instability of worldly alliances: relationships formed due to a time-bound cause dissolve when that cause ends. He also distinguishes innate hostility (by birth/lineage) from pragmatic friendship created by circumstance and power.
In Bhishma’s discourse, he reflects on a relationship that once became friendly because Time presented a suitable cause; when that cause ceased, the friendship ended. He addresses the other party as a natural enemy who had temporarily become a friend due to capability and circumstance.