Chapter I · Śloka 43
Arjuna uvāca
उत्सन्नकुलधर्माणां मनुष्याणां जनार्दन |
नरके नियतं वासो भवतीत्यनुशुश्रुम ||
नरके नियतं वासो भवतीत्यनुशुश्रुम ||
utsanna-kula-dharmāṇāṃ manuṣyāṇāṃ janārdana |
narake niyataṃ vāso bhavatīty anuśuśruma ||
narake niyataṃ vāso bhavatīty anuśuśruma ||
O Janardana, I have heard from the learned that those men whose family traditions are ruined must dwell in hell for an indefinite time.
Arjuna appeals to śruti — 'thus I have heard' — invoking scriptural authority to close his argument. He is not fabricating; these teachings were real. But he is applying them selectively, without the full picture that dharma in this situation demands war, not withdrawal.