Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 128
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
कृत्वा हि पूर्व मित्राणि यः पश्चान्नानुतिष्ठति । न स मित्राणि लभते कृच्छास्वापत्सु दुर्मति:
kṛtvā hi pūrva mitrāṇi yaḥ paścān nānutiṣṭhati | na sa mitrāṇi labhate kṛcchrāsv āpatsu durmatiḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“有人起初结交众多朋友，后来却不坚守友道；当严酷的灾难降临时，他便得不到那些朋友。困厄之际，愚人从自己曾怠慢的纽带中，求不到援手。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Friendship is a dharmic commitment that must be sustained by consistent conduct; those who form alliances but fail to uphold them lose support precisely when hardship and crisis arrive.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Shanti Parva, he offers a moral maxim about social bonds: neglecting the duties of friendship after initially cultivating many friends results in isolation during calamity.