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 ||
Bhishma berkata: Orang yang menyiapkan perlindungan sebelum bahaya datang disebut ‘anāgata-vidhātā’; dan orang yang pada saat krisis menemukan jalan menyelamatkan diri disebut ‘pratyutpanna-mati’. Hanya dua inilah yang maju dengan mudah. Adapun si penunda yang mengulur-ulur tanpa perlu, ‘dīrgha-sūtrī’, berakhir dalam kebinasaan.
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.