Shloka 2

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

Devanagari script

अन्रैव चेदमव्यग्र॑ शृणुष्वाख्यानमुत्तमम्‌ । दीर्घसूत्रमुपाश्रित्य कार्याकार्यविनिश्चये,कर्तव्य और अकर्तव्यका निश्चय करनेमें जो दीर्घसूत्री होता है, उसको लेकर मैं एक सुन्दर उपाख्यान सुना रहा हूँ। तुम स्वस्थचित्त होकर सुनो

Transliteration

anṛaiva cedam avyagraṁ śṛṇuṣvākhyānam uttamam | dīrghasūtram upāśritya kāryākārya-viniścaye ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “If you are indeed attentive and unagitated, listen to this excellent tale. With reference to one who is ‘long-sutred’—who delays and procrastinates when deciding what ought to be done and what ought not to be done—I shall relate a fine illustrative narrative. Listen with a steady mind.”

Word by Word

• {'avyagram': 'unagitated, undistracted, composed', 'śṛṇuṣva': 'listen (imperative, 2nd person singular)', 'ākhyānam': 'narrative, tale, illustrative story', 'uttamam': 'excellent, best, noble', 'dīrghasūtram': 'one who is slow to act

• ‘long-threaded’ in execution', 'upāśritya': 'having taken as a basis

• relying upon', 'kārya': 'what should be done

• proper action', 'akārya': 'what should not be done

• improper/forbidden action', 'viniścaya': 'determination, decisive judgment, ascertainment', 'ced': 'if', 'idam': 'this'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should cultivate clarity and promptness in discerning duty (kārya) versus what is not duty (akārya). Procrastination in ethical decision-making leads to error and missed right action; steadiness of mind is required to learn and apply dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma introduces an instructive tale (ākhyāna) to illustrate the fault of being dīrghasūtra—delaying action—especially when judging what should or should not be done. He asks the listener to hear it with an undistracted, composed mind.