Bhagavad-gītā 1.42
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
सङ्करो नरकायैव कुलघ्नानां कुलस्य च। पतन्ति पितरो ह्येषां लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः।।1.42।।
saṅkaro narakāyaiva kula-ghnānāṁ kulasya cha patanti pitaro hy eṣhāṁ lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ
Admixture of castes, indeed, is for the hell of the family and the destroyers of the family; their ancestors fall, deprived of the offerings of rice-ball and water.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| saṅkaraḥ | unwanted children |
| narakāya | hellish |
| eva | indeed |
| kula-ghnānām | for those who destroy the family |
| kulasya | of the family |
| cha | also |
| patanti | fall |
| pitaraḥ | ancestors |
| hi | verily |
| eṣhām | their |
| lupta | deprived of |
| piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ | performances of sacrificial offerings |
Keep the verse in view while connecting saṅkaraḥ (unwanted children), patanti (fall), and piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ (performances of sacrificial offerings). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the crisis that opens the teaching. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 1.42.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Map the battlefield, speakers, relationships and Arjuna’s reasons before reading later answers backward into the crisis.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Admixture of castes, indeed, is for the hell of the family and the destroyers of the family
- 2
their ancestors fall, deprived of the offerings of rice-ball and water
- 3
saṅkaraḥ: unwanted children
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture the battlefield.
Link
Use the line starts: saṅkaro narakāyaiva / patanti pitaro.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 1.42, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 1.42 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 1.42 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 1.42 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 1.42, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition