Shloka 99
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
ततो भवत्यफक्रान्ते त्रस्ते भीते च लोमश । अहं बिल प्रवेक्ष्यामि भवान् शाखां भजिष्यति,“लोमशजी! जब आप त्रास और भयसे आक्रान्त हो भाग खड़े होंगे, उस समय मैं बिलमें घुस जाऊँगा और आप वृक्षकी शाखापर जा बैठेंगे”
tato bhavaty apakrānte traste bhīte ca lomaśa | ahaṁ bila-pravekṣyāmi bhavān śākhāṁ bhajiṣyati ||
Bhīṣma said: “Then, O Lomaśa, when you are seized by fear and panic and flee, I will enter the burrow, and you will take refuge upon a tree-branch.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights practical discernment in danger: when fear overwhelms and flight occurs, one should still choose the safest available refuge. It implicitly contrasts panic with a planned response—each person taking the most viable shelter.
Bhīṣma addresses Lomaśa and describes a contingency plan for a moment of threat: if Lomaśa becomes frightened and runs, Bhīṣma will slip into a burrow while Lomaśa will climb onto a tree branch for safety.