Shloka 36
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
प्रत्युपस्थितकालस्य सुखस्य परिवर्जनम् । अनागतसुखाशा च नैव बुद्धिमतां नयः,“जिसके सुलभ होनेका समय आ गया हो, उस सुखको त्याग देना और भविष्यमें मिलनेवाले सुखकी आशा करना--यह बुद्धिमानोंकी नीति नहीं है
pratyupasthitakālasya sukhasya parivarjanam | anāgatasukhāśā ca naiva buddhimatāṃ nayaḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：舍弃时机已至、近在手边的幸福，却把希望寄托在尚未来到的幸福之上——这并非智者的方略与审慎之道。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wise conduct (nīti) values timely, available benefit: one should not discard a present, attainable good merely to chase an uncertain future pleasure.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and nīti. Here he offers a maxim on practical judgment—choosing what is timely and within reach rather than sacrificing it for speculative future gain.