Chapter 1/Verse 42
संकरो नरकायैव कुलघ्नानां कुलस्य च ।
पतन्ति पितरो ह्येषां लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः ॥१-४२॥
saṃkaro narakāyaiva kulaghnānāṃ kulasya ca ।
patanti pitaro hyeṣāṃ luptapiṇḍodakakriyāḥ ॥1-42॥
The intermixing verily are for an atmosphere of torment of the family corruptors and family. Indeed, the ancestors fall. Of these (ancestors) the ritual-offerings of rice-balls and water are discontinued.
saṃkaras (verb root: kṝ) (saṃ + karas) (masculine, nominative, singular) = intermixing
narakāya (stem form: naraka) (masculine, dative, singular) = an atmosphere of torment
eva (indeclinable) = verily (emphatic particle, emphasizes preceding word)
kulaghnānām (stem form: kulaghna) (kula + ghnānām) (karmadhāraya compound, masculine, genitive, plural) = of the family corruptors
kulasya (stem form: kula) (neuter, genitive, singular) = of the family
ca (conjunction) (indeclinable) = and
patanti (verb root: pat) (present indicative, parasmaipada, 3rd person, plural) = they fall
pitaras (stem form: pitṛ) (masculine, nominative, plural) = ancestors
hi (interjection) (indeclinable) = indeed
eṣām (pronoun, masculine, genitive, plural) = of these
luptapiṇḍodakakriyās (stem form: luptapiṇḍodakakriya) (lupta + piṇḍa + udaka + kriyās) (tatpurūṣa compound, masculine, nominative, plural) = ritual-offerings of water and rice-balls are discontinued
Once again, this verse being connected with the last verse can get people riled up for this verse speaks of the consequences of the intermixing of the family with different castes of people and the people who instigate that situation.
Interesting. Our (American) society with it's progressive attitudes may be in conflict with this interpretation. We often forget that these ancient works were written by very conservative monks for Brahmins. Back then, they knew this material was not for everyone. Hummm....is the American Constitution even valid in our current society? Is the Gita? Is the Bible? It's meant to be a living document, as it was back in ancient times. I think there is evidence that the scribes changed and amended as they went along. Would these ancient sages approve interracial marriage? Of course not. Do the modern day sages? They probably do.
ReplyDeleteThat leads to why you are bothering to translate the Gita again, because so much of it changes with the times. But that begs the bigger question, how does one find the unchangable, uncompromising message, which underlies every verse? Prasanti, let me know please, when you figure this out?
I agree, Bill. This verse can get people raging. I have never seen a topic get people into a rage like this topic. Whether it is interracial marriage in America or the caste system in India. On one hand I think the uncompromising and terse language of the verse is a product of its times, but on the other hand I think the underlying sentiment is perennial. For time immemorial sons and daughters have married people who clashed against the family they married into for various reasons like race, religion, values, socio-economic class, etc. and thus created all kinds of havoc in the family. Who is right and who is wrong in those situations? Should the sons and daughters marry whoever they want and disrupt the harmony of the bigger family unit or is the family clan be respected? What is more important? The individual or the group? The West would say the individual and the East would say the group. I guess that is why the East still has arranged marriages. But that is the point of the verse, don't intermix cultures. Cultures have different values and should not be intermixed. Good fences make good neighbors. Sure there are exceptions, but the exception proves the rule. I think this verse is still relevant if one gets the underlying spirit of the verse and not its gross words that are a product of its times. But hey, look at me, I am a white guy dating a black girl.
ReplyDeleteI have always been inspired by the Gita's overt and covert messages and that is why I happy to translate it. Plus, I am still trying to get some practical Sanskrit language translation practice and what better text to translate than the Gita. It has so many rich, scholarly translations out there and a couple of really good critical editions. So many big shoulders to stand on!