This shloka continues Arjuna’s chain of consequences from family destruction.

In the previous shloka, Arjuna said that when families are destroyed, the long-standing family dharmas perish, and when dharma is lost, adharma overtakes the entire family. Now he explains the next result.

He says, adharmābhibhavāt — “because of the overpowering of adharma.” Adharmaḥ [unrighteousness or value-less living] has already entered the family. Dharma is no longer the guiding force. The home is no longer centered on value, discipline, culture, religious practice, or spiritual direction.

Then he says, kulastriyaḥ praduṣyanti — “the women of the family become corrupted.” Kula-striyaḥ means the women of the family. Praduṣyanti means they become spoiled, corrupted, or damaged in values.

This has to be understood carefully. The point is not to blame women. The point is to show the importance of women, especially mothers, in the transmission of values. In the family structure described here, the mother has a central role in shaping the child’s earliest values. If the mother is dharmic, value-centered, disciplined, and spiritually rooted, the child receives that atmosphere from the beginning. If the mother’s values are damaged, the child’s value-formation is also damaged.

A child does not begin life by reading śāstra. A child first learns from the mother’s voice, habits, priorities, speech, discipline, love, anger, prayer, and conduct. The mother becomes the first visible model of life. If that model is guided by dharma, the child receives dharma naturally. If that model is dominated only by arthaḥ [material gain] and kāmaḥ [pleasure], the child absorbs that also.

This is why Arjuna says that when adharma overtakes the family, the women of the family become corrupted. A damaged value-system does not stop with one person. It enters parenting. Then it enters the next generation.

Then he says, strīṣu duṣṭāsu — “when the women are corrupted.” Here again, the focus is the breakdown of value-transmission through family life. When the mothers and women who preserve the family culture lose dharma, the next generation loses a clear framework for life.

He addresses Kṛṣṇa as Vārṣṇeya — “O one born in the Vṛṣṇi family.” This address is meaningful in this context because Arjuna is speaking about the importance of family. He addresses Kṛṣṇa through His family lineage, as if to say, “You know the importance of family, because You too come from a noble family line.”

Finally Arjuna says, jāyate varṇa-saṅkaraḥ — “varṇa-saṅkara arises.” Varṇa-saṅkaraḥ means confusion or mixture regarding varṇa and varṇāśrama-dharma. In Arjuna’s social framework, different groups had different duties. Brāhmaṇas had cultural and teaching responsibilities, kṣatriyas had protection and political responsibilities, vaiśyas had economic responsibilities, and śūdras had supporting responsibilities. These duties were meant to hold society together.

Modern readers should not get stuck in birth-based prejudice when reading this. Varṇa should be understood through disposition, training, responsibility, and chosen role, not as a rigid judgment of human worth. The tradition itself shows many fluid examples. Droṇa was born a brāhmaṇa but became a master of warfare and taught warriors. Karṇa, though called a sūta-putra, became one of the greatest warriors. Bhīṣma, a kṣatriya, became a profound teacher of dharma to Yudhiṣṭhira. Kṛṣṇa grew up among cowherds, fought many battles, guided kings, and became the teacher of the Bhagavad Gītā. So the point here is not social prejudice; the point is that when dharmic training collapses, people lose clarity about their responsibilities, disciplines, and rightful contribution to society.

When family dharma collapses, the next generation no longer receives clear training in duties, disciplines, rituals, and responsibilities. The roles become confused. The child does not know what tradition to follow, what duties to perform, what rituals belong to the family, or what value-system should guide life. This confusion is called varṇa-saṅkaraḥ [confusion regarding varṇāśrama-dharma].

The main teaching of this shloka is the role of family, especially the mother, in preserving dharma across generations. When adharma enters the home, it does not remain private. It affects children. Those children become the next society. A breakdown in one family can become a breakdown in the next generation.

At the same time, this is still part of Arjuna’s confused argument. The concern about value-transmission is real. But Arjuna is using that real concern to support withdrawal from a dharma-yuddha [righteous war]. The correct understanding is not “protect family values by abandoning dharma.” The correct understanding is “protect family values by protecting dharma at every level.”