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Shloka 1

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

Devanagari script

ऑपनआ प्रात बछ। अर: सप्तत्रिशर्दाधिकशततमोब< ध्याय: आनेवाले संकटसे सावधान रहनेके लिये दूरदर्शी, तत्कालज्ञ और दीर्घ॑सूत्री--इन तीन मत्स्योंका दृष्टान्त भीष्म उवाच अनागतविधाता च प्रत्युत्पन्नमतिश्न यः । द्वावेव सुखमेधेते दीर्घसूत्री विनश्यति,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! जो संकट आनेसे पहले ही अपने बचावका उपाय कर लेता है, उसे अनागतविधाता कहते हैं तथा जिसे ठीक समयपर ही आत्मरक्षाका उपाय सूझ जाता है, वह (प्रत्युत्पन्नमति” कहलाता है। ये दो ही प्रकारके लोग सुखसे अपनी उन्नति करते हैं; परंतु जो प्रत्येक कार्यमें अनावश्यक विलम्ब करनेवाला होता है, वह दीर्घसूत्री मनुष्य नष्ट हो जाता है

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | anāgatavidhātā ca pratyutpannamatiś ca yaḥ | dvāv eva sukham edhete dīrghasūtrī vinaśyati ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “O Yudhishthira, the one who makes provision in advance for dangers yet to come, and the one whose intelligence rises promptly to meet an immediate crisis—these two alone prosper with ease. But the procrastinator, who drags matters out, perishes.”

Word by Word

अनागतविधाताone who provides beforehand for what is yet to come

चand

प्रत्युत्पन्नमति:one whose intelligence is timely/present (quick-witted)

चand

यःwho

द्वौtwo

एवindeed/only

सुखम्happiness/well-being

एधेतेthey prosper/thrive

दीर्घसूत्रीthe procrastinator (one with a 'long thread')

विनश्यतिperishes/is ruined

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Yudhiṣṭhira

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Human success depends on timely intelligence: either prepare in advance for foreseeable dangers (anāgatavidhātā) or respond instantly with presence of mind (pratyutpannamati). Habitual delay (dīrghasūtrī) leads to ruin.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to the grieving king Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīṣma begins an exemplum-based teaching (often linked with the ‘three fishes’ illustration) by classifying people by how they handle impending or immediate संकट (danger) and warning against procrastination.