Shanti Parva Adhyaya 139 Shloka 1 - Mahabharata | Lao | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 1

आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः

Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca

Devanagari script

ऑपन--माज बछ। ्:॑॑ि अष्टात्रिशर्दाधिकशततमो< ध्याय: शत्रुओंसे घिरे हुए राजाके कर्तव्यके विषयमें बिडाल और चूहेका आख्यान युधिछिर उवाच सर्वत्र बुद्धि: कथिता श्रेष्ठा ते भरतर्षभ । अनागता तथोत्पन्ना दीर्घसूत्रा विनाशिनी

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | sarvatra buddhiḥ kathitā śreṣṭhā te bharatarṣabha | anāgatā tathotpannā dīrghasūtrā vināśinī ||

Translation

ຢຸທິສຖິຣະກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ຜູ້ປະເສີດໃນວົງສາພາຣະຕະ, ທ່ານໄດ້ກ່າວວ່າ ໃນທຸກສະພາບການ ປັນຍາທີ່ດີທີ່ສຸດມີສອງຢ່າງ: ຄວາມຮູ້ທັນການທີ່ກຽມການປ້ອງກັນກ່ອນພະຍຸອັນຕະລາຍຈະມາ, ແລະຄວາມຮູ້ທັນເຫດການທີ່ຄິດຫາວິທີປ້ອງກັນໃນຍາມອັນຕະລາຍເກີດຂຶ້ນແລ້ວ. ແຕ່ປັນຍາທີ່ຜັດຜ່ອນ ຊັກຊ້າເນື່ອງຈາກຄວາມເກຍດຄ້ານ ນຳໄປສູ່ຄວາມພິນາດ.»

Word by Word

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

उवाचsaid/spoke

सर्वत्रeverywhere/in all matters

बुद्धिःintelligence/understanding

कथिताhas been described/told

श्रेष्ठाbest/supreme

तेto you/for you

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas

अनागताnot yet come; foreseeing (future danger)

तथाand likewise/also

उत्पन्नाarisen; present (ready in the moment)

दीर्घसूत्राprocrastinating/slow to act

विनाशिनीdestructive; causing ruin

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Bhīṣma (implied by the address bharatarṣabha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Effective judgment for a ruler (and for anyone) has two strengths: (1) foresight that prepares before trouble arrives (anāgatā buddhi), and (2) presence of mind that responds skillfully when trouble has already arisen (utpannā buddhi). Procrastination (dīrghasūtratā) is condemned as ruinous because it wastes the decisive moment.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīṣma, summarizing Bhīṣma’s teaching about the kinds of intelligence needed in governance—especially when a king is threatened by enemies—and contrasting them with the destructive habit of delaying action.