Complete learning edition. The Sanskrit source remains separate from attributed word meanings, translation, explanation and commentary witnesses. Diagrams and memory aids are study tools, not replacements for the source text.
कुलक्षये प्रणश्यन्ति कुलधर्माः सनातनाः। धर्मे नष्टे कुलं कृत्स्नमधर्मोऽभिभवत्युत।।1.40।।
kula-kṣhaye praṇaśhyanti kula-dharmāḥ sanātanāḥ dharme naṣhṭe kulaṁ kṛitsnam adharmo ’bhibhavaty uta
On the decay of a family the immemorial religious rites of that family die out. On the destruction of spirituality, impiety further overwhelms the whole of the family.
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 |
|---|---|
| kula-kṣhaye | in the destruction of a dynasty |
| praṇaśhyanti | are vanquished |
| kula-dharmāḥ | family traditions |
| sanātanāḥ | eternal |
| dharme | religion |
| naṣhṭe | is destroyed |
| kulam | family |
| kṛitsnam | the whole |
| adharmaḥ | irreligion |
| abhibhavati | overcome |
| uta | indeed |
Read the Sanskrit as a connected thought built from kula-kṣhaye (in the destruction of a dynasty), naṣhṭe (is destroyed), and uta (indeed). 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 1.40.
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
On the decay of a family the immemorial religious rites of that family die out
- 2
On the destruction of spirituality, impiety further overwhelms the whole of the family
- 3
kula-kṣhaye: in the destruction of a dynasty
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture the battlefield.
Link
Use the line starts: kula-kṣhaye praṇaśhyanti / dharme naṣhṭe.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
Circle repeated sounds, names, or grammatical endings before consulting a meaning.
Read one line aloud, cover it, and reconstruct as much as you can from memory.
Compare with a checked edition and record the source before adding any translation.
Build meaning without hiding the work
Map the battlefield, speakers, relationships and Arjuna’s reasons before reading later answers backward into the crisis.
Mark forms you want to investigate
These are visual tokens, not a reviewed sandhi split. Select repeated forms, endings, compounds, particles or speaker markers; verify segmentation with the Sanskrit tools or a checked edition.
Three questions for this verse
- 1
Who speaks in this verse?
- 2
What changes in the situation or argument?
- 3
Which emotion, observation or reason is expressed?
Add this verse to a five-scene map of Arjuna’s movement from survey to refusal.
Attempt before comparison
Make revision visible
Assessment: read aloud, explain the verse’s role in its chapter, identify one source boundary, answer one question and schedule a return.
Turn this reading into a study record
Save it, return from memory, and write one idea in your own words. Your record stays in this browser unless you export it.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 1.40, 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 1.40 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 1.40 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 1.40 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 1.40, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition