Shloka 4
आपद्धर्मे राज्ञः नीतिः — Bharadvāja’s Counsel on Crisis-Statecraft (Śānti Parva 138)
तत्रैको दीर्घकालज्ञ उत्पन्नप्रतिभो5पर: । दीर्घसूत्रश्न तत्रैकस्त्रयाणां सहचारिणाम्
tatraiko dīrghakālajña utpannapratibho 'paraḥ | dīrghasūtrī ca tatraikaḥ trayāṇāṃ sahacāriṇām ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Entre aqueles três companheiros, um era um planejador de visão longa, capaz de antever o que se desenrolaria ao longo de muito tempo. Outro era de engenho rápido, cuja presença de espírito e sagacidade oportuna o serviam exatamente quando necessário. O terceiro era um procrastinador, que atrasava inutilmente toda empreitada.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma distinguishes three temperaments relevant to dharmic conduct: long-term foresight, timely presence of mind, and harmful delay. The implied ethical lesson is to value prudent planning and timely action while avoiding procrastination that can ruin even good intentions.
Bhīṣma is describing three companions by their characteristic modes of intelligence and action—one who plans for the long term, one who responds brilliantly in the moment, and one who habitually postpones—setting up a moral comparison within his instruction.