Karma-Yoga, Yajña-Cakra, and the Governance of Desire (कर्मयोग–यज्ञचक्र–कामनिग्रह)
अधर्माभिभवात् कृष्ण प्रदुष्यन्ति कुलस्त्रिय: । स्त्रीषु दुष्टासु वाष्णेय जायते वर्णसंकर:
adharmābhibhavāt kṛṣṇa praduṣyanti kula-striyaḥ | strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya jāyate varṇa-saṅkaraḥ ||
اے کرشن! جب ادھرم غالب آ جاتا ہے تو خاندان کی عورتیں بگڑ جاتی ہیں؛ اور اے وارشنیہ! عورتوں کے بگڑ جانے پر ورن-سنکر (نسب و فرائض کی آمیزش و انتشار) پیدا ہوتا ہے۔
अजुन उवाच
Arjuna argues that when adharma becomes dominant, it corrodes the moral fabric of family life, leading to disorder in relationships and a broader collapse of social norms and inherited responsibilities (varṇa-saṅkara). The verse frames war not only as physical destruction but as a catalyst for ethical and societal disintegration.
On the battlefield, Arjuna is overwhelmed by the prospect of fighting his own kin. He presents Krishna with a chain-of-consequences argument: the slaughter of elders and protectors will allow adharma to prevail, which in turn will corrupt family life and produce social confusion, strengthening his reluctance to wage war.