A core teaching · reflective in mood · easy to enter
“Breaking family duty brings suffering that lasts beyond one lifetime.”
O Janardana, we have always heard that those whose family duties are destroyed dwell long in a lower realm.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyof those whose family duties are destroyed · of people · O Janardana · in a lower realm · for an indefinite time · dwelling · there is · thus · we have heard
Arjuna says he has heard that people who destroy family duties end up suffering for a long time in a lower realm.
Arjuna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Arjuna Vishada Yoga" (The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair).
Verse 44 sits in Chapter 1 of the Bhagavad Gita — Arjuna Vishada Yoga, "The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
You are about to sign something that will hurt your own family later. The short-term win looks smaller when you can already see the damage spreading.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts the mind from immediate gain to the long shadow of broken obligations.
What this verse means
Arjuna says he has heard that people who destroy family duties end up suffering for a long time in a lower realm.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield, Arjuna keeps listing the consequences of fighting his own kin. After warning that family order will collapse, he recalls a grim teaching: when family duties are destroyed, people suffer in a lower realm for a long time. This deepens his refusal to fight.
Why this verse still matters
You are about to sign something that will hurt your own family later. The short-term win looks smaller when you can already see the damage spreading.
“The fear is not abstract anymore. He feels the cost of war reaching into the family line.”
Explore related themes: kurukshetra (95 verses), arjuna vishada (14 verses), adharma (12 verses)