Bhagavad Gita 1.40

Arjuna fears that destroying a family destroys its lasting dharma and lets adharma spread.

कुलक्षये प्रणश्यन्ति कुलधर्माः सनातनाः।
धर्मे नष्टे कुलं कृत्स्नमधर्मोऽभिभवत्युत॥

kula-kṣaye praṇaśyanti kula-dharmāḥ sanātanāḥ
dharme naṣṭe kulaṃ kṛtsnam adharmo ’bhibhavaty uta

Translation

When a family is destroyed, its ancient family traditions perish. When dharma is lost, lawlessness overwhelms the whole family.

Hindi

कुल के नष्ट होने पर सनातन कुल-धर्म नष्ट हो जाते हैं, और धर्म के नष्ट होने पर अधर्म सम्पूर्ण कुल को दबा लेता है।

Commentary

Here Arjuna lays out his fear in terms of dharma. In his view a family is a living school of values, handed down from elder to child. Destroy the elders and the teaching stops. Whether this fear is justified is something Krishna addresses later. The consequences Arjuna imagines continue in 1.41.

Characters in this verse

Arjunaअर्जुन

Krishnaकृष्ण

Places in this verse

Kurukshetraकुरुक्षेत्र

Key concepts

Dharmaधर्म