Shloka 9

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

Devanagari script

दीर्घसूत्रस्तु यस्तत्र सो5ब्रवीत्‌ सम्यगुच्यते । न तु कार्या त्वरा तावदिति मे निश्चिता मति:

Transliteration

dīrghasūtrastu yastatra so 'bravīt samyag ucyate | na tu kāryā tvarā tāvad iti me niścitā matiḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：在那里，那以拖延著称的人开口道：“朋友，你所言确实正确；然而我已下定决心：此刻我们不应仓促行事。”

Word by Word

• दीर्घसूत्रः: one who is procrastinating/slow in action
• दीर्घसूत्रः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घसूत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अब्रवीत्: said/spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सम्यक्: properly/rightly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक्

• उच्यते: is said/is spoken
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Present (Laṭ), 3rd, Singular, Ātmanepada, Passive

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• तु: but/however
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• कार्याः: haste/speed (as a thing to be done/undertaken)
• कार्याः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• त्वरा: haste
• त्वरा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तावत्: so long/as yet/for now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत्

• इति: thus (quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• मे: my/of me
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• निश्चिता: settled/firm
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निश्चित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• मतिः: opinion/resolve
• मतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• dīrghasūtra (the procrastinating person)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.