Shloka 38
अध्याय ३० — क्रोधदोषाः क्षमाप्रशंसा च
Defects of Anger and the Praise of Forbearance
न मातृपितृवद् राजन् धाता भूतेषु वर्तते । रोषादिव प्रवृत्तोडयं यथायमितरो जन:,राजन! मैं समझती हूँ, ईश्वर समस्त प्राणियोंके प्रति माता-पिताके समान दया एवं स्नेहयुक्त बर्ताव नहीं कर रहे हैं, वे तो दूसरे लोगोंकी भाँति मानो रोषसे ही व्यवहार कर रहे हैं
na mātṛpitṛvad rājan dhātā bhūteṣu vartate | roṣādiva pravṛtto 'yaṃ yathāyam itaro janaḥ ||
Disse Yudhiṣṭhira: “Ó Rei, o Ordenador (Dhātṛ) não parece agir para com os seres vivos com o terno cuidado e afeto de mãe e pai. Antes, como as pessoas comuns, Ele parece mover-se a agir como se fosse impelido pela ira.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse voices a moral-philosophical doubt: if a divine ordainer governs the world, why does that governance not resemble parental compassion toward all beings? It highlights the tension between faith in providence and the lived experience of suffering, prompting reflection on karma, destiny, and the limits of human judgment about divine action.
In the forest-exile setting of the Vana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira, burdened by misfortune, speaks to a kingly interlocutor and questions the apparent fairness and compassion of the cosmic ruler (Dhātā). His words express grief and bewilderment, comparing the divine conduct to the anger-driven behavior of ordinary people.