Shloka 20
आपद्धर्मे राज्ञः नीतिः — Bharadvāja’s Counsel on Crisis-Statecraft (Śānti Parva 138)
अनागतविधाता च प्रत्युत्पन्नमतिश्न यः । द्वावेव सुखमेधेते दीर्घसूत्रो विनश्यति
anāgatavidhātā ca pratyutpannamatiś ca yaḥ | dvāv eva sukham edhete dīrghasūtro vinaśyati ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: Quien se provee de antemano contra peligros aún no llegados es el “anāgatavidhātā”; y quien, con presencia de ánimo, halla un medio de protegerse en el mismo instante de la crisis es el “pratyutpannamati”. Solo estos dos prosperan con facilidad. Pero quien alarga los asuntos con demora innecesaria, el “de hilo largo” (el procrastinador), acaba en la ruina.
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.