Avoid the evil person - दुर्जनेन समं सख्यं

दुर्जनेन समं सख्यं वैरञ्चाऽपि न कारयेत् ।
उष्णो दहति चाङ्गारः शीतः कृष्णायते करम् ॥

durjanena samaM sakhyaM vaira~nchA~pi na kArayet |
uShNo dahati chA~NgAraH shItaH kRRiShNAyate karam ||(ITRANS)

durjanena samaṃ sakhyaṃ vairañcā'pi na kārayet ।
uṣṇo dahati cāṅgāraḥ śītaḥ kṛṣṇāyate karam ॥(IAST) 

Do not make a friend or an enemy of an evil person. [Because] a burning coal burns, cold [coal] blackens the hand. (Hitopadesh 1:79)

How should we deal with an evil person? Maybe if we are friends with them, we may get benefits of their evil schemes? Or should we be enemy to them?

A piece of burning coal, cinder, will burn our hands. But a cold coal blackens the hand, makes it dirty. Similarly, making enemy of an evil person will cause us harm. Making friends with them will give us ill-repute. So we should avoid them altogether as much as possible.

This advice is in generic situations. It is not always possible or right. For example, someone has to confront the wrong doer. Someone has to stand up for the right thing. When we are able to, we should. Those who are in position of power and to do something, should indeed use it to get rid of evil. But, it is not always possible.

So, ordinarily, it is best to just avoid evil people. Don't ask favors, don't do favors, just avoid and do your work. Life is too short to makes evil enemies or make dirty one's own reputation.

[Check out Attitude Shift.]

Another variation is found as:

दुर्जनेन समं वैरं प्रीतिं चापि न कारयेत् ।
उष्णो दहति चाङ्गारः शीतः कृष्णायते करम् ॥

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and now the language aspects of the shloka -

दुर्जनेन = durjanena = duH + jana + -ena = bad + person + -by
= by evil person

समं = samam = equal

सख्यं = sakhyam = friendship (sakhI = friend)

वैरञ्चाऽपि = vaira~nchA'pi = vairam + cha + api = animosity + and + also
= and also animosity

न = na = not

कारयेत् = kArayet = should do

उष्णो = uShNo = uShNaH = hot (due to burning)

दहति = dahati = burns

चाङ्गारः = chA~NgAraH = cha + a~NgAraH = and burning coal

शीतः = shItaH = cold
कृष्णायते = kRiShNAyate = blackens (kRiShna = black)

करम् = hand

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