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 dit : «Ô connaisseur du dharma, chez les tigres, ce qu’on appelle ici “fièvre” n’est en vérité que “fatigue”. Mais chez les hommes, ô connaisseur du dharma, cette même affliction est bien connue sous le nom de “fièvre”, ô 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.