Shloka 35
अध्याय ३० — क्रोधदोषाः क्षमाप्रशंसा च
Defects of Anger and the Praise of Forbearance
यथा काष्ठेन वा काष्ठमश्मानं चाश्मना पुन: । अयसा चाप्ययश्शषिन्द्यान्निर्विचेष्टमचेतनम्,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
yathā kāṣṭhena vā kāṣṭham aśmānaṃ cāśmanā punaḥ | ayasā cāpy ayaḥ śastrair indriyāṇi nirviceṣṭam acetanaṃ ||
玉提施提罗说道：“正如无知无觉、静止不动之物——木、石与铁——唯能以木、石与铁而被斫断、击碎；同样，自生的主哈利，万有之远祖，披覆于摩耶之幕，使众生以众生为器而相互毁灭。”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that apparent human (or creaturely) agency can be understood as instrumental: just as inert materials are acted upon by similar materials, the Lord—concealed by māyā—brings about outcomes in the world through the very beings within it. This frames violence and destruction as occurring through proximate agents, while ultimate governance is attributed to the divine order.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on causation and responsibility, using a physical analogy (wood/stone/iron acting upon wood/stone/iron) to explain how the supreme Lord (Hari), remaining hidden behind māyā, causes one set of creatures to become the means for the destruction of another. It is a contemplative statement meant to interpret suffering and conflict within a larger metaphysical framework.