Bhagavad Gita — Arjuna Vishada Yoga, Shloka 40
Arjuna Vishada Yoga
अधर्माभिभवात्कृष्ण प्रदुष्यन्ति कुलस्त्रियः । स्त्रीषु दुष्टासु वार्ष्णेय जायते वर्णसङ्करः ॥ १.४० ॥
adharmābhibhavāt kṛṣṇa praduṣyanti kula-striyaḥ | strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya jāyate varṇa-saṅkaraḥ || 1.40 ||
When adharma prevails, O Kṛṣṇa, the women of the family become corrupted; when women are corrupted, O Vārṣṇeya, varṇa-saṅkara (confusion of social order) arises.
When adharma prevails, O Kṛṣṇa, the women of the family are corrupted; when women are corrupted, O Vārṣṇeya, social intermixture (varṇa-saṅkara) arises.
From the ascendancy of adharma, O Kṛṣṇa, the women of the lineage become morally compromised; when women are compromised, O Vārṣṇeya, varṇa-saṅkara (confusion/intermixture of social orders) comes to be.
This reflects ancient social anxieties about lineage, inheritance, and ritual continuity, expressed through gendered idiom typical of the period. ‘Varṇa-saṅkara’ is debated: it may denote disruption of customary social roles and responsibilities, not merely biological ‘mixing’.
FAQs
Arjuna projects cascading consequences: when core norms erode, he anticipates broader social instability. Such ‘domino reasoning’ is common in crisis states and can intensify moral inhibition.
The verse treats dharma as a stabilizing structure for society. Later Gītā teaching will shift emphasis toward inner discipline and universal duty, which can be read as transcending purely lineage-based concerns.
Arjuna argues that widespread conflict threatens household integrity and the transmission of social and ritual responsibilities, using the idiom of his historical milieu.
Modern readers may interpret ‘varṇa-saṅkara’ more broadly as role confusion and breakdown of shared responsibilities; the verse can prompt discussion on how social stressors disproportionately burden vulnerable groups and destabilize institutions.