Bhagavad Gita 1.41
Chapter 1, verse 41
Meaning
“Once disorder takes hold of a family, Krishna, its women are led astray. And when that happens, Vārṣṇeya, the social orders become mixed and confused.” Arjuna is voicing an old fear of his society about lineage and the breakdown of the family's place in it.
The Sanskrit
अधर्माभिभवात्कृष्ण प्रदुष्यन्ति कुलस्त्रियः ।
स्त्रीषु दुष्टासु वार्ष्णेय जायते वर्णसङ्करः ॥ ४१ ॥
adharmābhibhavāt kṛṣṇa praduṣyanti kulastriyaḥ
strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya jāyate varṇasaṃkaraḥ
Say it
uh-dhur-maa-bhi-bhuh-vaat krish-nuh pruh-doosh-yun-ti koo-luh-stri-yuh
stree-shoo doosh-taa-soo vaarsh-nay-yuh jaa-yuh-tay vur-nuh-sung-kuh-ruh
Word by word
- adharma-abhibhavāt
- because disorder overwhelms (the family)
- kṛṣṇa
- O Krishna
- praduṣyanti
- are led astray
- kula-striyaḥ
- the women of the family
- strīṣu duṣṭāsu
- when the women are led astray
- vārṣṇeya
- O Vārṣṇeya (Krishna, of the Vṛṣṇi clan)
- jāyate
- there arises
- varṇa-saṃkaraḥ
- a mixing of the social orders
Read it in context: verses 1.41–44One fear leads to the nextWith the story so far, commentary, and today's lesson: When each worry borrows strength from the last
Another translation and audio recitation: verse 1.41 on holy-bhagavad-gita.org.
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