Sanskrit
दोषैरेतैः कुलघ्नानां वर्णसङ्करकारकैः । उत्साद्यन्ते जातिधर्माः कुलधर्माश्च शाश्वताः ॥
doṣair etaiḥ kulaghnānāṃ varṇasaṅkarakārakaiḥ utsādyante jātidharmāḥ kuladharmāś ca śāśvatāḥ
Translation
By these caste-confusing misdeeds of the slayers of the family, the everlasting caste customs and family customs are abolished.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
A summary line restating verses 40–42’s chain in a single claim: the family’s destruction abolishes customs described here as everlasting. Arjuna is building toward the strongest possible conclusion before stating it directly in verse 44.
Study deeper
Word by word
- doṣair etaiḥदोषैः एतैः
- by these wrongs
- kula-ghnānāṃकुल-घ्नानां
- of the family-destroyers
- varṇa-saṅkara-kārakaiḥवर्ण-सङ्कर-कारकैः
- which bring about the confusion of varṇa
- utsādyanteउत्साद्यन्ते
- are abolished
- jāti-dharmāḥजाति-धर्माः
- the duties of birth-group
- kula-dharmāś caकुल-धर्माश् च
- and of family
- śāśvatāḥशाश्वताः
- everlasting
Commentary
Site Commentary
This verse adds no new content at all — it exists purely to compress verses 40 through 42 into one restated premise, immediately before verse 44 delivers the verdict. It’s a structural device: real arguments often need a moment that summarizes rather than advances, a beat that consolidates before the conclusion lands.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When you're building toward a hard decision, give yourself an explicit moment to summarize everything you've reasoned through so far before you act on it — the pause to consolidate is not wasted time, it's what makes the eventual conclusion solid.
Professional
- Before presenting a final recommendation, insert an explicit summary slide or paragraph that restates your prior points as one premise — it's not filler, it's what lets your audience arrive at the conclusion with you instead of losing the thread.
Family & Social
- Before delivering a hard decision to family, try summarizing your reasoning out loud in one breath first — giving them (and yourself) that consolidating moment before the conclusion lands makes the conclusion easier to actually hear.
Ask yourself
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