Shloka 23
Rajo-dhūli-saṃmūḍha-saṅgrāmaḥ
The Dust-Obscured Battle and Mutual Charges
गतोदके सेतुबन्धो यादृक् तादूड्मतिस्तव । संदीप्ते भवने यद्वत् कृूपस्य खननं तथा,जैसे पानीकी बाढ़ निकल जानेपर पुल बाँधनेका प्रयास किया जाय अथवा घरमें आग लग जानेपर उसे बुझानेके लिये कुआँ खोदनेकी चेष्टा की जाय, उसी प्रकार आपकी यह समझ है
gatodake setubandho yādṛk tādūḍhmatistava | sandīpte bhavane yadvat kūpasya khananaṃ tathā ||
สัญชัยกล่าวว่า “พระดำริของพระองค์เป็นดุจการสร้างสะพานเมื่อกระแสน้ำหลากผ่านพ้นไปแล้ว หรือดุจการขุดบ่อเมื่อเรือนลุกไหม้แล้ว ฉันนั้นแล”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wisdom must be timely: advice or corrective action given after the decisive moment is ineffective. The verse criticizes delayed understanding and urges foresight and prompt ethical action before harm becomes irreversible.
Sanjaya rebukes the king’s belated realization and counsel during the unfolding catastrophe of the war. Using two vivid analogies—building a bridge after the flood and digging a well after a house is burning—he underscores that the king’s insight has come too late to avert the consequences already set in motion.