Shloka 19
Bhīmasena’s Admonition to Yudhiṣṭhira on Rājya and the Ordering of Dharma–Artha–Kāma
Book 3, Chapter 34
न त्वद्य शक््यं भरतप्रवीर कृत्वा यदुक्तं कुरुवीरमध्ये । काल प्रतीक्षस्व सुखोदयस्य पक्ति फलानामिव बीजवाप:,भरतवंशके प्रमुख वीर! कौरव वीरोंके बीच मैंने जो प्रतिज्ञा की है, उसे स्वीकार कर लेनेके बाद अब इस समय आक्रमण नहीं किया जा सकता। जैसे बीज बोनेवाला किसान अपनी खेतीके फलोंके पकनेकी बाट जोहता रहता है, उसी प्रकार तुम भी उस समयकी प्रतीक्षा करो, जो हमारे लिये सुखकी प्राप्ति करानेवाला है
na tv adya śakyaṃ bharatapravīra kṛtvā yad uktaṃ kuruvīramadhye | kālaṃ pratīkṣasva sukhodayasya pakti-phalānām iva bījavāpaḥ ||
O foremost hero of the Bharata line, it is not possible to launch an attack today, after having accepted what I declared in the midst of the Kuru warriors. Wait for the proper time that will bring about our welfare and happiness—just as a sower of seeds waits for the ripening of the crop’s fruits.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one has the power to act, dharma requires honoring one’s public word and waiting for the proper time (kāla). Yudhiṣṭhira frames restraint and patience as ethical strength, using the farmer’s example: results come when conditions ripen, not merely when desire urges action.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a Bharata/Kuru hero and explains that an immediate attack cannot be undertaken because of a declaration or commitment made publicly among the Kuru warriors. He urges patience until a favorable moment arrives, comparing their situation to a farmer who waits for the crop to ripen after sowing.