Shloka 20
आपद्धर्मे राज्ञः नीतिः — Bharadvāja’s Counsel on Crisis-Statecraft (Śānti Parva 138)
अनागतविधाता च प्रत्युत्पन्नमतिश्न यः । द्वावेव सुखमेधेते दीर्घसूत्रो विनश्यति,जो संकट आनेसे पहले ही अपने बचावका उपाय कर लेता है, वह “अनागतविधाता' और जिसे ठीक समयपर ही आत्मरक्षाका कोई उपाय सूझ जाता है, वह 'प्रत्युत्पन्नमति'-- ये दो ही सुखपूर्वक अपनी उन्नति करते हैं; परंतु प्रत्येक कार्यमें अनावश्यक विलम्ब करनेवाला *दीर्घसूत्री' नष्ट हो जाता है
anāgatavidhātā ca pratyutpannamatiś ca yaḥ | dvāv eva sukham edhete dīrghasūtro vinaśyati ||
Bhīṣma said: The one who provides beforehand for dangers yet to come is called anāgatavidhātā; and the one whose presence of mind finds a means of self-protection at the very moment of crisis is called pratyutpannamati. These two prosper with ease. But the person who drags matters out with needless delay—the “long-threaded” procrastinator—comes to ruin.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that success and safety come either from foresight (planning before trouble arrives) or from presence of mind (finding a remedy in the crisis). In contrast, habitual delay and drawn-out action lead to failure.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct and statecraft, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira by classifying practical intelligence: the prudent planner and the quick-witted responder prosper, while the procrastinator is destroyed.