Shloka 9
आपद्धर्मे राज्ञः नीतिः — Bharadvāja’s Counsel on Crisis-Statecraft (Śānti Parva 138)
दीर्घसूत्रस्तु यस्तत्र सो5ब्रवीत् सम्यगुच्यते । न तु कार्या त्वरा तावदिति मे निश्चिता मति:
dīrghasūtrastu yastatra so 'bravīt samyag ucyate | na tu kāryā tvarā tāvad iti me niścitā matiḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : Là, l’homme réputé pour sa procrastination prit la parole : « Ami, ce que tu dis est assurément juste ; pourtant, ma conviction arrêtée est qu’à présent nous ne devons pas agir dans la hâte. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when a proposal is correct, one should not rush into action; judgment includes timing. The verse highlights the ethical value of deliberation and restraint, warning against impulsive haste.
Bhīṣma reports a reply given by a person characterized as dīrghasūtra (habitually slow to act). He concedes the other’s point as correct but insists that, in his view, immediate haste is not appropriate.