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GĪTA, TRANSLATION & COMMENTARY, CHAP. I 863
कुलक्षये प्रणश्यन्ति कुलधर्माः सनातना : धर्मे नष्टे कुलं कृत्स्नमधर्मोऽभिभवत्युत ॥ ४०॥ अधर्माभिभवात् कृष्ण प्रदुष्यन्ति कुलस्त्रियः। स्त्रीषु दुष्टासु वार्ष्णेय जायते वर्णसंकर :॥४१॥ संकरो नरकायैव कुलघ्नानां कुलस्य च।
पतन्ति पितरो ह्येषां लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः॥४२॥ another's sin'-Trans.), and should remain inactive, but should not become wicked for punishing the evil-minded, though the latter might not realise their own wickedness as a result of their minds having been over-powered by avarice, and the other common arguments mentioned in this place, are applicable or should be made applicable to the present circumstances, is a question as important as the ones mentioned above; and I have explained in the Chapter XII of the Gita-Rahasya at pages 544 to 554 what, in my opinion, is the answer of the Gītā to these questions. If one bears in mind the fact that the exposition to be found in the subsequent chapters of the Gitā has been made in order to solve the doubt which had arisen in the mind of Arjuna as shown in the first chapter, one can no more have any doubt about the import of the Gītā. These doubts arose in the mind of Arjuna, because the Bhārati war was a civil war, due to a split between persons belonging to the same kingdom and the same religion, who had come forward to kill each other. Whenever similar circumstances have arisen in modern history, similar doubts have also arisen. Arjuna now clearly specifies the evils which flow from the extinction of a family. ]
(40) On the extinction of a family, the eternal rites of families are destroyed ; and when these rites (of the family) have perished, lawlessness predominates over the whole family, (41) When lawlessness prevails, O Krsņa, the women of the family become corrupt; and when they have become corrupt, then, O Vārsņeya! ("descendant of Vrsņi' –Trans.), there follows caste-confusion. (42) And when there is caste-confusion,
