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 ||
Бхишма сказал: Там заговорил человек, прославленный своей медлительностью: «Друг, ты говоришь верно; однако моё твёрдое убеждение таково: сейчас нам не следует действовать поспешно».
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.