A core teaching · reflective in mood · easy to enter
“Destroy the family, and the moral order inside it collapses.”
When a family falls apart, its ancient duties disappear. When duty is lost, wrongdoing overtakes the whole family.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyon the destruction of the family · are destroyed · family duties · when duty · is destroyed · the family · entire · wrongdoing · overpowers · indeed
When a family is broken, its long-standing duties disappear. Once duty is gone, wrongdoing spreads through the whole family.
Arjuna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Arjuna Vishada Yoga" (The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair).
Verse 40 sits in Chapter 1 of the Bhagavad Gita — Arjuna Vishada Yoga, "The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
A household where promises keep getting broken does not stay stable for long. Soon the children learn the chaos as normal, and everyone starts living by damage control instead of responsibility.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from immediate victory to the long-term moral cost of breaking inherited obligations.
What this verse means
When a family is broken, its long-standing duties disappear. Once duty is gone, wrongdoing spreads through the whole family.
Context & commentary
On the Kurukshetra battlefield, Arjuna looks beyond the fight and sees a larger collapse. If the Kuru family is destroyed, its old duties will vanish, and the disorder of war will spread through everything that remains.
Why this verse still matters
A household where promises keep getting broken does not stay stable for long. Soon the children learn the chaos as normal, and everyone starts living by damage control instead of responsibility.
“A broken structure does not stay neutral for long; it quickly trains people toward harm.”
Explore related themes: adharma (12 verses)