Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 1/Verse 40

Chapter 1/Verse 40

कुलक्षये प्रणश्यन्ति कुलधर्माः सनातनाः ।

धर्मे नष्टे कुलं कृत्स्नमधर्मोऽभिभवत्युत ॥१-४०॥

kulakṣaye praṇaśyanti kuladharmāḥ sanātanāḥ ।

dharme naṣṭe kulaṃ kṛtsnamadharmo'bhibhavatyuta ॥1-40॥

In the corruption of the family, the perennial family dharmas vanish. And in perished dharma, adharma overcomes the whole family.

kulakṣaye (verb root: kṣi) (kula + kṣaye) (tatpurūṣa compound, masculine, locative, singular) = in the corruption of the family

praṇaśyanti (verb root: naś) (pra + ṇaśyanti) (present tense, 3rd person, plural) = they vanish

kuladharmās (stem form: kuladharma) (kula + dharmās) (karmadhāraya compound, masculine, nominative, plural) = family dharmas

sanātanās (stem form: sanātana) (masculine, nominative, plural) = perennial

dharme (stem form: dharma) (masculine, locative, singular) = in dharma

naṣṭe (verb root: naś) (past passive participle, masculine, locative, singular) = perished

kulam (stem form: kula) (neuter, accusative, singular) = family

kṛtsnam (stem form: kṛtsna) (neuter, accusative, singular) = the whole

adharmas (stem form: adharma) (masculine, nominative, singular) = adharma

abhibhavati (verb root: bhū) (abhi + bhavati) (present tense, 3rd person, singular) = it overcomes

uta (conjunction) (indeclinable) = and

Most translations interpret "kṣaya" (in the previous verse and this verse) as "destruction", but I feel this is a bit extreme and goes over-the-top because the "family is not destroyed". "Corruption" or "decay" is a better word because how could a "flaw" exist as stated in a previous verse if "the family was destroyed". I like to think of it like a watch. If a watch was "corrupted" it would not tell time properly and that would be a flaw in the watch. If the watch was destroyed, even a flaw could not be evident in the watch because the watch would be smashed and broken, and not just flawed. A flaw is a minor problem that can lead to bigger problems.