Shloka 6
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 ||
व्याधिना चाभिपन्नस्य मानसेनेतरेण वा। धर्मज्ञश्च कृतज्ञश्च त्वद्विधः शरणं भवेत्॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.