kulakshaye pranashyanti kuladharmaah sanaatanaah
dharme nashte kulam kritsnam adharmo'bhibhavatyuta // 40 //
In the destruction of a family, its ancient religious traditions perish; on the destruction of spirituality, lawlessness overtakes the whole family.
Dharma or spirituality means the duties, rites and ceremonies practiced by the family in accordance with the injunctions of the scriptures. War tends to tear us away from our natural home surroundings and uproot us from social traditions which are the essence of the mature will and experience of the people.
adharmaabhibhavaat krishna pradushyanti kulastriyah
streeshu dushtaasu vaarshneya jaayate varnasankarah // 41 //
And when lawlessness prevails, O Krishna, the women of the family become corrupt and when women become corrupted it results in intermingling of castes O, Varshneya (Krishna- the descendent of Vrshni clan). The idea is that when women are associated with their husbands who flouted their family traditions of righteousness, they may also feel emboldened to commit transgressions.
sankaro narakaayaiva kulaghnaanaam kulasya cha
patanti pitaro hyeshaam luptapindodaka kriyaah // 42 //
Admixture of castes leads the family and the slayers of the family to hell because the spirits of their ancestors fall, deprived of the offerings of rice and water.
doshair etaih kulaghnaanaam varnasankarakaarakaih
utsaadyante jaatidharmaah kuladharmaashcha shaashwataah // 43 //
By these evil deeds of the destroyers of the family, which cause confusion of castes, the traditional duties of the caste and the family are destroyed.
utsannakuladharmaanaam manushyaanaam janaardana
narake niyatam vaaso bhavateetyanushushruma // 44 //
O, Janardana, we have heard that dwelling in hell for an infinite period is inevitable for those people whose family duties have been destroyed.
Arjuna argued that impiety will predominate in the families because the death of the experienced persons in the battle field will leave none to control and guide them in good conduct and right behavior. This would lead to the womenfolk of these families going astray causing intermingling of castes.
The word `caste' meant a division of society based on one's mental tendencies and qualifications for taking up a particular type of work or avocation in the community. The division of society was never intended to be based on mere accident of birth. Therefore admixture of castes implies people choosing their avocations not suitable to their own inherent aptitude and tendencies resulting in the loss of professional ethics and excellence.
With the intermingling of castes, progeny would not perform `Sraaddha' ceremonies to their deceased ancestors which would cause them a downfall in the other world. It was feared that the traditions of the individual families called Kula Dharma and those of a social group called Jati Dharma or Varna Dharma might get disturbed due to social upheaval as a consequence of war.
The import of Arjuna’s arguments was that when the fundamental harmony of the domestic life gets broken, when purity of living and sanctity of thought were destroyed, when the ideals enshrined in immemorial traditions were shattered, when the social equilibrium is disturbed, chaos alone will reign supreme in the world..
aho bata mahat paapam kartum vyavasitaa vayam
yadraajya sukhalobhena hantum swajanam udyataah // 45 //
yadi maam aprateekaaram ashastram shastrapaanayah
dhaartaraashtraa rane hanyus tanme kshemataram bhavet // 46 //
Alas, what a pity that we have resolved to commit a great sin by being eager to kill our own kith and kin out of greed for the pleasures of a kingdom ! It would, indeed be better for me if the sons of Dhritarashtra, armed with weapons, were to kill me in the battle while I remain unarmed and unresisting.
The idea is that instead of committing the heinous sin of killing his own relatives and friends, Arjuna feels that purification from even such a thought itself will come from the amends in the form of an end to his own life itself.
Arjuna, exhibiting lack of self- confidence, became a victim of emotions instead of a master of the situation. In his weak state of mind he was imputing ulterior motives to a righteous war which he himself was stoutly defending up to the very day it was to start. He went to the extent of telling Krishna that non-injury was a virtue preferable to defending oneself against other's attacks. He was not aware that his attachment, selfishness and delusions were responsible for his faint-heartedness and cold-feet in the face of a crisis. His despondency ultimately culminated in meek pulling out from the situation in which he finds himself.
Confounded and Distressed, Arjuna collapses
sanjaya uvaacha
evamuktwaa'rjunah sankhye rathopastha upaavishat
visrijya sasharam chaapam shokasamvignamaanasah // 47 //
Sanjaya said
Having spoken thus in the midst of the battlefield, Arjuna, throwing away his bow and arrows, sank into the seat of the chariot, with his mind afflicted by sorrow.
Arjuna finally decided not to fight. He threw away his arms and sank into his seat. This is really strange for a warrior of Arjuna's caliber. For all these outpourings, Krishna did not respond. The Lord allowed him to exhaust himself so that the message He was going to deliver shortly to Arjuna and through him to the entire humanity would be fully effective.
om tat sat
iti srimad bhagavadgeetaasu upanishatsu brahma vidyaayaam yogashaastre
sri krishnaarjuna samvaade arjuna vishaada yogo naama prathamo'dyaayah||
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal, the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the first discourse entitled: The Yoga of the Despondency of Arjuna
The significance of these narrations at the end of each Chapter has already been explained in the introductory essay.
We shall have a critical look at this Chapter next time.
HARIH OM