Shloka 20
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
तथाविधस्य सुह्॒दा क्षन्तव्यं स््वं विजानता । ऐश्वर्यमिच्छता नित्यं पुरुषेण बुभूषता
tathāvidhasya suhṛdaḥ kṣantavyaṃ svaṃ vijānatā | aiśvaryam icchatā nityaṃ puruṣeṇa bubhūṣatā ||
毗湿摩说道：“明辨之人，知晓何为自身真正的利益者，当宽恕这般怀善意的朋友。凡恒求王权与富盛、志在上进者，理当容忍忠诚劝谏者的急切乃至严厉——尤其当那位朋友因不堪你所受之害而强势前来警告：‘大王，你的财物正被人掠走！’”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler or aspirant to prosperity should value frank, even forceful, counsel from a genuine well-wisher and forgive any perceived impropriety, because such admonition protects the king’s true interest.
In Bhishma’s instruction on righteous conduct and governance, he describes the case of a loyal friend who, distressed by the king’s impending loss, urgently warns him that his wealth is being taken; Bhishma concludes that such a friend should be heard and forgiven.