Shloka 42
Arjuna Vishada Yoga — Arjuna Vishada Yoga
दोषैरेतैः कुलघ्नानां वर्णसङ्करकारकैः । उत्साद्यन्ते जातिधर्माः कुलधर्माश्च शाश्वताः ॥ १.४२ ॥
doṣairetaiḥ kulaghnānāṃ varṇasaṅkarakārakaiḥ | utsādyante jātidharmāḥ kuladharmāś ca śāśvatāḥ || 1.42 ||
इन दोषों से—जो कुल का नाश करने वाले और वर्ण-संकर उत्पन्न करने वाले हैं—जाति-धर्म और शाश्वत कुल-धर्म नष्ट हो जाते हैं।
By these faults—committed by those who destroy the family-line and cause intermixture of social orders—both community norms (jāti-dharmas) and enduring family duties (kula-dharmas) are brought to ruin.
Traditional translations often retain ‘varṇa’ and ‘jāti’ as normative categories; academic translations may render them as ‘social classes/communities’ and emphasize the sociological register of Arjuna’s fear rather than endorsing the hierarchy.
FAQs
Arjuna’s mind shifts from personal reluctance to systemic concern, using the language of societal norms to justify withdrawal.
Metaphysically minimal; the verse primarily expresses dharma as a social-ritual order whose breakdown is seen as ethically grave.
It supports the preceding claim that conflict within kin-groups threatens the continuity of practices and identities that define community life.
It can be read as a prompt to consider how major decisions affect institutions, norms, and vulnerable dependents—not only immediate outcomes.