Shloka 56
वृत्ति-सत्सङ्ग-दान-धर्म
Livelihood, Virtuous Association, and Ethics of Giving
शार्टूलेष्वथ धर्मज्ञ श्रमो ज्वर इहोच्यते । मानुषेषु तु धर्मज्ञ ज्वरो नामैष भारत
śārṭūleṣv atha dharmajña śramo jvara iha ucyate | mānuṣeṣu tu dharmajña jvaro nāmaiṣa bhārata ||
Bhīṣma said: “O knower of dharma, among tigers what is called ‘fever’ here is in truth ‘fatigue’. But among human beings, O knower of dharma, this very affliction is indeed known by the name ‘fever’, O Bhārata.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights that the same experience can be classified differently across beings: what is ‘fever’ for humans is described as mere ‘fatigue’ among tigers. The point supports careful discernment in naming, diagnosing, and judging conditions—an ethical caution against assuming one standard fits all.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed as Bhārata and dharmajña), using a comparative example from animal life to clarify how terms and conditions are understood differently in different contexts.