samkaro narakaayeiva kulaghnaanaam kulasya cha |
patanti pitaro hyeshaam luptapindodakakriyaahaa || 42 || 
 
doshairetai kulaghnaanaam varnasamkarakaarakaihai |
utsaadyante jaatidharmaaha kuladharmaashcha shaashvataahaa || 43 ||
 Contamination of character pushes the annihilators of society and society itself into hell; their ancestors fall from grace, having been deprived of their offerings of Pinda and water.
 
Timeless societal and humanitarian values and traditions are destroyed by the contamination of character created by these annihilators of society.
 
samkaraha : contamination of character
narakaaya : takes to hell
eva : certainly
kula-ghnaanaam : annihilators of society
kulasya : society
cha : and
patanti : falls
pitaraha : ancestors
eshaam :due to these killers
lupta-pinda-udaka-kriyaaha : deprived of their offerings of Pinda (rice) and water
 
doshai : errors
etai : these
kulaghnaanaam : annihilators of society
varna-samkara-kaarakaihi : causing confusion of character
utsaadyante : get destroyed
jaati-dharmaaha : humanitarian values
kula-dharmaaha : societal values
cha : and
shaashvataaha : timeless
 
In Indian culture, one’s ancestors and family lineage are given great importance. In these verses, Arjuna expressed his worry that the deterioration of post-war society would result in loss of respect for the ancestors who created the laws and values of that society.
 
It is not that difficult to draw a parallel between the reverence for the ancestors of a society expressed here, and the reverence for the builders of any institution in the modern world. During every independence day celebration of a country, freedom fighters’ contributions are remembered and revered. Similarly, if you walk the hallways of any modern corporation, you will usually see the founders’ portraits displayed prominently. Someone who cares deeply about one’s country, or about one’s place of work, will never look forward to the denigration of the founders. Arjuna, even in his deluded state, cared about the builders of the Kuru dynasty.
 
Footnotes
1. “Pinda” is a ball of rice offered to the memory of one’s ancestors during certain Indian rituals