Bhagavad Gita 1.39
Spoken by Arjuna · Verse 39 of 47 · Arjuna's Journey
कुलक्षये प्रणश्यन्ति कुलधर्माः सनातनाः। धर्मे नष्टे कुलं कृत्स्नमधर्मोऽभिभवत्युत॥
kula-kṣaye praṇaśyanti kula-dharmāḥ sanātanāḥ / dharme naṣṭe kulaṃ kṛtsnam adharmo 'bhibhavaty uta
When families collapse, the traditions that hold communities together collapse with them.
Word by word (5)
- kula-kṣaye
- — in the destruction of the family
- praṇaśyanti kula-dharmāḥ sanātanāḥ
- — the eternal laws of the family perish · 'Sanātanāḥ' — eternal, ancient, time-tested. Kula-dharma (family duty/custom) includes the rites, traditions, and moral codes that bind generations together. Its destruction is not merely personal loss but loss of the social fabric.
- dharme naṣṭe
- — when dharma is lost / when law is destroyed
- kulam kṛtsnam
- — the entire family
- adharmaḥ abhibhavati uta
- — adharma (lawlessness) overwhelms / overcomes
'When a family is destroyed, the ancient, time-tested laws of that family are lost. And when those laws are lost, lawlessness overtakes the entire family.'
A modern analogy
When a family breaks apart violently — through war, trauma, or collapse — more than people are lost. The shared rituals, the stories, the ways of marking birth and death and celebration, the knowledge of who you are in relation to others — all of this frays and disappears within a generation or two. Arjuna is describing the destruction of cultural memory.
Take with you
- Kula-dharma (family tradition) is the transmission system for values across generations — its destruction is irreversible.
- The word 'sanātanāḥ' (eternal/ancient) signals that Arjuna is arguing for the value of time-tested practices, not mere sentiment.
- The sequence: family destroyed → dharma lost → adharma enters → escalating disorder. Each step makes reversal harder.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
On the destruction of the family, the immemorial religious rites of the family perish. On the destruction of the religious rites, impiety overcomes the whole family. [4]
On the destruction of a family, the immemorial customs of that family perish; and when the customs are lost, impiety overwhelms the whole family. [6]
For, if the race be lost, the immemorial laws Fall too; and impious disorder enters in. [7]
When the family is destroyed, the ancient laws of the family perish; when the laws perish, impiety is said to overcome the whole family. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
When order collapses, the most vulnerable members of society suffer first.
If the great one withdraws, the worlds collapse and they become the cause of chaos — not a neutral bystander.
Krishna says: 'Look.' Two words that will change everything.
He looked — and saw everyone he has ever loved, lined up to kill or be killed.
Even the fathers-in-law and dearest friends — on both sides. No one is safely 'other.'
What is a kingdom for, if all those you wanted to share it with are dead?
Verse 39 of 47 · back to Chapter 1