Shloka 12
Vetasa-Nīti: The Reed and the Flood (वेतस-नीति)
भीष्म उवाच यो हि शत्रोर्विवृद्धस्य प्रभोर्बन्धविनाशने । पूर्व न सहते वेगं क्षिप्रमेव विनश्यति
bhīṣma uvāca | yo hi śatror vivṛddhasya prabhor bandha-vināśane | pūrvaṃ na sahate vegaṃ kṣipram eva vinaśyati ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Yudhiṣṭhira, celui qui ne sait endurer—en s’inclinant et en supportant—le premier assaut d’un ennemi devenu puissant, capable d’emprisonner et d’anéantir les siens, est promptement voué à la ruine.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In kingship and conflict, one must have strategic patience: if a powerful enemy’s initial surge is not endured with restraint (even through temporary submission), one risks rapid destruction. The verse stresses prudence over impulsive resistance when the opponent is overwhelmingly capable.
Within Bhīṣma’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira in Śānti Parva on royal policy and conduct, Bhīṣma warns about dealing with a strengthened adversary: failing to withstand the enemy’s first aggressive move leads to swift ruin.