Shloka 20
आपद्धर्मे राज्ञः नीतिः — Bharadvāja’s Counsel on Crisis-Statecraft (Śānti Parva 138)
अनागतविधाता च प्रत्युत्पन्नमतिश्न यः । द्वावेव सुखमेधेते दीर्घसूत्रो विनश्यति
anāgatavidhātā ca pratyutpannamatiś ca yaḥ | dvāv eva sukham edhete dīrghasūtro vinaśyati ||
毗湿摩说道：能在祸患未至之前预作筹划者，名为“预制未然者”（anāgatavidhātā）；能在危急当下凭临机之智寻得自护之策者，名为“现前机智者”（pratyutpannamati）。唯此二者得以安然兴盛。至于凡事无端拖延、把线拉得过长的“长线之人”（怠延者），终将走向败亡。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.