The high-souled son of Dharma, in
return, possessed of great energy, praised his convinced auditors; and
once more the king addressed the son of the foremost of rivers, possessed
of a high soul, for enquiring about duties.'"
SECTION CLXVIII
"Yudhishthira said, 'O grandsire, O thou that art possessed of great
wisdom, I shall ask thee a question. It behoveth thee, O enhancer of the
happiness of the Kurus, to discourse to me fully upon it. What kind of
men are said to be of gentle disposition? With whom may the most
delightful friendship exist? Tell us also who are able to do good in the
present time and in the end. I am of opinion that neither swelling
wealth, nor relatives, nor kinsmen, occupy that place which well-wishing
friends occupy. A friend capable of listening to beneficial counsels, and
also of doing good, is exceedingly rare. It behoveth thee, O foremost of
virtuous men, to discourse fully on these topics.'
"Bhishma said, 'Listen to me, O Yudhishthira, as I speak to thee, in
detail, of those men with whom friendships may be formed and those with
whom friendships may not be formed. One that is covetous, one that is
pitiless, one that has renounced the duties of his order, one that is
dishonest, one that is a knave, one that is mean, one that is of sinful
practices, one that is suspicious of all, one that is idle, one that is
procrastinating, one that is of a crooked disposition, one that is an
object of universal obloquy, one that dishonours the life of his
preceptor, one that is addicted to the seven well-known vices, one that
casts off distressed friends, one possessed of a wicked soul, one that is
shameless, one whose sight is ever directed towards sin, one that is an
atheist, one that is a slanderer of the Vedas, one whose senses are not
restrained, one that gives free indulgence to lust, one that is
untruthful, one that is deserted by all, one that transgresses all
restraints, one that is deceitful, one that is destitute of wisdom, one
that is envious, one that is wedded to sin, one whose conduct is bad, one
whose soul has not been cleansed, one that is cruel, one that is a
gambler, one that always seeks to injure friends, one that covets wealth
belonging to others, that wicked-souled wight who never expresses
satisfaction with what another may give him according to the extent of
his means, one that is never pleased with his friends, O bull among men,
one that becomes angry on occasions that do not justify anger, one that
is of restless mind, one that quarrels without cause, that sinful bloke
who feels no scruple in deserting well-meaning friends, that wretch who
is always mindful of his own interests and who, O king, quarrels with
friends when those do him a very slight injury or inflict on him a wrong
unconsciously, one who acts like a foe but speaks like a friend, one who
is of perverse perceptions, one who is blind (to his own good), one who
never takes delight in what is good for himself or others, should be
avoided.
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