Shloka 36
अध्याय ३० — क्रोधदोषाः क्षमाप्रशंसा च
Defects of Anger and the Praise of Forbearance
एवं स भगवान् देव: स्वयम्भू: प्रपितामह: । हिनस्ति भूतैर्भूतानि च्छद्म कृत्वा युधिछ्ठिर,महाराज युधिष्ठिर! जैसे अचेतन एवं चेष्टारहित काठ, पत्थर और लोहेको मनुष्य काठ, पत्थर और लोहेसे ही काट देता है, उसी प्रकार सबके प्रपितामह स्वयम्भू भगवान् श्रीहरि मायाकी आड़ लेकर प्राणियोंसे ही प्राणियोंका विनाश करते हैं
evaṁ sa bhagavān devaḥ svayambhūḥ prapitāmahaḥ | hinasti bhūtair bhūtāni chadma kṛtvā yudhiṣṭhira ||
Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira! Demikianlah Sang Bhagavān, Dewa, Svayambhū, leluhur agung semua makhluk, dengan menyamar (bertabir), membinasakan makhluk melalui makhluk yang lain.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames destruction in the world as occurring through proximate instruments—beings acting upon beings—while the ultimate cosmic governance remains with the Self-born Lord, who operates indirectly, ‘veiled’ by māyā. Ethically, it highlights the tension between human agency (as instruments) and a larger providential order, urging reflection on responsibility, humility, and the limits of human control.
Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a theological explanation for why harm and death occur: the primordial Lord does not appear as a direct agent but brings outcomes about through intermediaries. He illustrates this with an analogy: inert materials like wood, stone, and iron are cut using those very materials—similarly, living beings become the means by which other beings are destroyed.