Shloka 38
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 ||
玉提施提罗说道：“大王啊，造命之主（Dhātṛ）似乎并未以父母般的慈爱与怜悯对待众生；反倒像凡夫一般，仿佛因嗔怒而起行事。”
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.