Shloka 17

आपद्धर्मे राज्ञः नीतिः — Bharadvāja’s Counsel on Crisis-Statecraft (Śānti Parva 138)

Devanagari script

दीर्घसूत्रस्तु मन्दात्मा हीनबुद्धिरचेतन: । मरणं प्राप्तवान्‌ मूढो यथैवोपहतेन्द्रियः,परंतु बुद्धिहीन और आलसी मूर्ख दीर्घसूत्री अचेत होकर मृत्युको प्राप्त हुआ, जैसे कोई इन्द्रियोंके नष्ट होनेसे नष्ट हो जाता है

Transliteration

dīrghasūtrastu mandātmā hīnabuddhiracetanaḥ | maraṇaṃ prāptavān mūḍho yathaivopahatendriyaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: „Der Zauderer jedoch — stumpfen Geistes, an Einsicht arm und ohne Besinnung — findet in seiner Torheit den Tod, wie auch der zugrunde geht, dessen Fähigkeiten getroffen sind, wenn die Sinne ihm nicht mehr dienen.“

Word by Word

दीर्घसूत्रःprocrastinating, dilatory

तुbut, indeed

मन्दात्माa dull-minded person

हीनबुद्धिःof deficient intellect

अचेतनःunconscious, senseless

मरणम्death

प्राप्तवान्attained, met with

मूढःdeluded, foolish

यथाas, just as

एवindeed, just

उपहतेन्द्रियःone whose senses are impaired/destroyed

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

indriya (the senses/faculties)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Negligence and procrastination, rooted in dullness and lack of discernment, lead to ruin; timely, aware, and intelligent action is essential for preserving life and dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction in the Śānti Parva, he illustrates a moral point by describing the fate of a foolish procrastinator, comparing his end to the helpless destruction that follows when one’s senses are impaired.