Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Bg 1.41

saṅkaro narakāyaiva

kula-ghnānāṁ kulasya ca

patanti pitaro hy eṣāṁ

lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ

Word for word: 

saṅkaraḥ — such unwanted children; narakāya — make for hellish life; eva — certainly; kula–ghnānām — for those who are killers of the family; kulasya — for the family; ca — also; patanti — fall down; pitaraḥ — forefathers; hi — certainly; eṣām — of them; lupta — stopped; piṇḍa — of offerings of food; udaka — and water;kriyāḥ — performances.

Translation: 

An increase of unwanted population certainly causes hellish life both for the family and for those who destroy the family tradition. The ancestors of such corrupt families fall down, because the performances for offering them food and water are entirely stopped.

saṅkaro narakāyaiva, those who are Varna Shankara, when they grow up they actually are uncultured and they create a life that is hellish narakāyaiva, 

kula-ghnānāṁ kulasya ca, so for whom they do this (make life hellish for)? They do this for the people who destroyed the family and for that particular dynasty also, because what happens is they are going to populate the world and when they populate the world they will disrupt everyone not just their family or their opponents family, because they are uncultured they are uncontrolled they will disrupt everyone and then what happens, Arjuna is seeing much further also, we see that Arjuna is very thoughtful person, and he is thinking in terms of long term consequences here.

patanti pitaro hy eṣāṁ, what will happen because of this is the ancestors will fall patenti pitaro, pitras are the ancestors, patanti pitaro hy eṣāṁ,

lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ, lupta for them, piṇḍa, offering of food, Udaka-kriyāḥ, offering of water, kriyāḥ, those rituals.

In Vedic scriptures it is described:

  • One who does extra good punya goes to heaven, one who does average punya goes to pitra loka. It is not necessary that all our ancestors will go to Pitra Loka but it is expected that who has lead a reasonable life of dharma will go to Pitra Loka and it is expected that there is inter-generational pious connection that is established through the rituals of Pindodaka Kriya. This inter-generational connection is that ancestors have given birth to us, gives us everything that we have, now we have to do something for them, what is that? When we do Punya over here it continues there existence over there, generally only earth is the arena where we can do Punya or papa, other places it will be consumed or exhausted in heaven or hell respectively. And if the descendants do Pindodaka Kriya they can stay there and if they don’t do then patanti pitaro hy eṣāṁ, the ancestors will fall down. So Arjuna is thinking of not only here but also about ancestors also what will happen to them they will all fall down. And in this way he is envisioning devastation everywhere. So SP mentions that these are for non-devotees.

SP Purport: Such help rendered to forefathers is a family tradition, and those who are not in devotional life are required to perform such rituals.

  • We have multiple debts. Ultimately whatever whoever is doing for us it is Krishna doing for us through that person e.g mother is feeding breast milk but she does not produce the milk actually it is Supreme Lord who has send the soul in mother’s womb and the made the arrangement for soul to come out of the mother’s womb and he is providing milk in the breast also similarly whoever is doing whatever for us ultimately it is Krishna doing for us and it doesn’t mean that we neglect those people, we appreciate them, we value because they are instruments in Krishna’s hand.
  • Only Supreme Lord provides all those good, others are instrument for that good so we have to respect and reciprocate also to them.

Debts or Rina

  • Devtas => Karmakanda and Agnihotra ( Devtas -They give us necessity of life to be discussed in 3rd chapter)
  • Rishi => Swadhaya (Rishi – gives us spiritual knowledge, Vedic scriptures by that we understand how to live and why to live)
  • Other living entities => Ex: Prabhupad’s father kept food for mouse in cloth shop.
  • Relatives => Help them keep relation.
  • Other human beings => Charity 
  • Pitaras => Pindoka, Sradha Kriya, continue the dynasty (by maintaining its prestige and through progeny also)

So we take things from them, so in return we need to give them.

But if somebody starts serving the Supreme Lord and takes Shelter of that Lord Mukunda whole heartedly then one is not obligated to anyone else, he simply serves Krishna and all other debts are taken care of. Since Krishna is giving care through all other living entities, so if we serve Krishna alone and directly then we are no longer obligated to them. So here Arjuna is not thinking from a devotee point of view, he is thinking from Kshetriya point of view.

Simply by performing devotional service, one can deliver hundreds and thousands of forefathers from all kinds of misery. It is stated in the Bhāgavatam (11.5.41):

devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ

na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan

sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ

gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam

“Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, giving up all kinds of obligation, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages, general living entities, family members, humankind or forefathers.” Such obligations are automatically fulfilled by performance of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

End of transcription.