कुलक्षये प्रणश्यन्ति कुलधर्माः सनातनाः । धर्मे नष्टे कुलं कृत्स्नमधर्मोऽभिभवत्युत ॥ ४० ॥
kula-kṣhaye praṇaśhyanti kula-dharmāḥ sanātanāḥ dharme naṣhṭe kulaṁ kṛitsnam adharmo ’bhibhavaty uta
Translation
When a family is destroyed, its age-old traditions of dharma perish; and when dharma is lost, adharma overtakes the whole family.
Hindi Meaning (हिंदी अर्थ)
कुल का नाश होने पर सनातन कुल-धर्म नष्ट हो जाते हैं; और धर्म के नष्ट होने पर समूचे कुल को अधर्म दबा लेता है।
Commentary
Arjun now thinks beyond the battlefield, to what the war will do to society. Kula-dharma means the traditions, rites and values each family carries across generations. If the elders who keep them alive are killed, he argues, the young will grow up without that anchor.