Shloka 16
आपद्धर्मे राज्ञः नीतिः — Bharadvāja’s Counsel on Crisis-Statecraft (Śānti Parva 138)
ततः प्रक्षाल्यमानेषु मत्स्येषु विपुले जले । मुक्त्वा रज्जुं प्रमुक्तोडसौ शीघ्र सम्प्रतिपत्तिमान्
tataḥ prakṣālyamāneṣu matsyeṣu vipule jale | muktvā rajjuṁ pramukto 'sau śīghraṁ sampratipattimān ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Puis, tandis qu’on lavait les poissons dans une eau profonde et abondante, celui dont l’esprit était prompt se dégagea : lâchant la corde, délivré de ses liens, il disparut aussitôt dans l’eau.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights sampratipatti—presence of mind and timely discernment—as an ethical-practical virtue: even in constraint, intelligence and alertness can find a dharmically acceptable escape from harm or bondage.
As fish are being washed in deep water, a bound individual (or creature) seizes the moment, releases the rope, becomes unbound, and swiftly vanishes into the water—an illustrative episode within Bhishma’s instruction.