Bhagavad Gita BG 1.42
Chapter 1, Verse 42 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
सङ्करो नरकायैव कुलघ्नानां कुलस्य च । पतन्ति पितरो ह्येषां लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः ॥ ४२ ॥
saṅkaro narakāyaiva kula-ghnānāṃ kulasya ca patanti pitaro hy eṣāṃ lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ
Meaning
This unwanted progeny leads to hell — for the destroyers of the family and the family itself. Their ancestors fall, being deprived of offerings of food and water.
Understanding
Arjuna now reaches the consequence of varṇa-saṅkara: it leads to hell (naraka) for both the destroyers of the family and the family itself. The specific concern about 'piṇḍodaka-kriyā' — the ritual offering of food (piṇḍa) and water to ancestors — reflects an important duty in ancient Indian religion. If the family line is destroyed, no one remains to perform these ancestral rites, and the ancestors 'fall' — they lose their merit and suffer.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| नरकाय | narakāya | to hell / for hell |
| कुलघ्नानाम् | kula-ghnānām | of the destroyers of the family |
| पतन्ति | patanti | fall / descend |
| पितरः | pitaraḥ | ancestors / forefathers |
| लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः | lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ | deprived of offerings of food (piṇḍa) and water |
| सङ्करः | saṅkaraḥ | unwanted offspring / this mixture (the subject) |
| एव | eva | indeed / only (emphatic) |
| च | ca | and (conjunction) |
| हि | hi | certainly / for (causal) |
| एषाम् | eṣām | of these / their (ancestors) |