अन्येष्वर्थकृता मैत्री यावदर्थविडम्बनम् । पुम्भि: स्त्रीषु कृता यद्वत् सुमन:स्विव षट्पदै: ॥ ६ ॥
anyeṣv artha-kṛtā maitrī yāvad-artha-viḍambanam pumbhiḥ strīṣu kṛtā yadvat sumanaḥsv iva ṣaṭpadaiḥ
- anyeṣu
- toward others
- artha
- for some motivation
- kṛtā
- manifested
- maitrī
- friendship
- yāvat
- for as long
- artha
- (as one is fulfilling his) motive
- viḍambanam
- pretense
- pumbhiḥ
- by men
- strīṣu
- for women
- kṛtā
- shown
- yadvat
- as much
- sumanaḥsu
- for flowers
- iva
- as
- ṣaṭ-padaiḥ
- by bees
The friendship shown toward others — those who are not family members — is motivated by personal interest, and thus it is a pretense that lasts only until one’s purpose is fulfilled. Such friendship is just like the interest men take in women, or bees in flowers.