Shloka 20

आपद्धर्मे राज्ञः नीतिः — Bharadvāja’s Counsel on Crisis-Statecraft (Śānti Parva 138)

Devanagari script

अनागतविधाता च प्रत्युत्पन्नमतिश्न यः । द्वावेव सुखमेधेते दीर्घसूत्रो विनश्यति,जो संकट आनेसे पहले ही अपने बचावका उपाय कर लेता है, वह “अनागतविधाता' और जिसे ठीक समयपर ही आत्मरक्षाका कोई उपाय सूझ जाता है, वह 'प्रत्युत्पन्नमति'-- ये दो ही सुखपूर्वक अपनी उन्नति करते हैं; परंतु प्रत्येक कार्यमें अनावश्यक विलम्ब करनेवाला *दीर्घसूत्री' नष्ट हो जाता है

Transliteration

anāgatavidhātā ca pratyutpannamatiś ca yaḥ | dvāv eva sukham edhete dīrghasūtro vinaśyati ||

Translation

भीष्म उवाच—अनागतविधाता च यः, प्रत्युत्पन्नमतिश्च यः—एतौ द्वावेव सुखेन वर्धेते; दीर्घसूत्री तु अनावश्यकविलम्बकारी विनश्यति।

Word by Word

अनागतविधाताone who provides beforehand (a foreseeing planner)

चand

प्रत्युत्पन्नमति:one of ready presence of mind

चand

यःwho

द्वौtwo

एवindeed/only

सुखम्happiness/well-being

एधेतेthey prosper/thrive

दीर्घसूत्रःa procrastinator (one with a 'long thread')

विनश्यतिperishes/is ruined

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

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?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.