Shloka 27
आपद्-राजनीतिः (Āpad-rājanīti) — Policy Options in Multi-Front Crisis
त्वं हि प्रष्टा च श्रोता च कृच्छेष्वनुगतेष्विह । श्रुत्वा मम महाराज न संतप्तुमिहाहसि
tvaṃ hi praṣṭā ca śrotā ca kṛcchreṣv anugateṣv iha | śrutvā mama mahārāja na santaptum ihārhasi ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô grand roi, même lorsque de graves épreuves se sont abattues sur nous ici, tu continues de poser des questions convenables et d’écouter comme il se doit leurs justes réponses. C’est pourquoi tu ne dois pas t’affliger ici de ce qu’aucun accord n’a pu être conclu avec Duryodhana.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid crisis, a ruler should remain composed and committed to discerning inquiry and attentive listening; such steadiness is a mark of fitness for dharma, so one should not be consumed by regret over an unachieved political settlement.
In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira after the war. He praises the king’s thoughtful questioning and careful hearing despite adversity, and counsels him not to lament that peace with Duryodhana could not be made.