Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
व्याधिना चाभिपन्नस्य मानसेनेतरेण वा । धर्मज्ञश्न कृतज्ञश्न त्वद्विध: शरणं भवेत्,जो मानसिक अथवा शारीरिक रोगसे पीड़ित है, ऐसे मनुष्यको आप-जैसे धर्मज्ञ और कृतज्ञ महात्मा ही शरण देनेवाले होते हैं
vyādhinā cābhipannasya mānasenetareṇa vā | dharmajñaś ca kṛtajñaś ca tvadvidhaḥ śaraṇaṃ bhavet ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Pour celui qui est accablé par la maladie — qu’elle soit de l’esprit ou du corps —, un homme tel que toi, connaisseur du dharma et plein de gratitude, devient un refuge véritable.»
भीष्म उवाच
Those who truly know dharma and possess gratitude naturally become a shelter to the suffering—especially to people overwhelmed by mental or physical illness. Ethical excellence is shown not only in knowledge but in protective compassion.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma addresses the listener and highlights the listener’s qualities—dharma-knowledge and gratitude—saying that such a person becomes a dependable refuge for those afflicted by bodily or mental disease.