Bhagavad Gita 1.41
अधर्माभिभवात्कृष्ण प्रदुष्यन्ति कुलस्त्रियः। स्त्रीषु दुष्टासु वार्ष्णेय जायते वर्णसङ्करः॥
adharmābhibhavāt kṛiṣhṇa praduṣhyanti kula-striyaḥ strīṣhu duṣhṭāsu vārṣhṇeya jāyate varṇa-saṅkaraḥ
Translation
Owing to predominance of lawlessness, O Krishna, the women of the family become corrupt; women corrupted, O Vârshneya, there ariseth caste confusion;
What it means
Lawlessness, he continues, corrupts families and confuses the social order. Arjuna speaks from the traditional framework of his age. Whatever one makes of the specifics, the form of the argument matters: he is justifying inaction with prophecy.
Try this today
Arjuna voices the social fears of his era. Note for modern readers: this is Arjuna's anxious reasoning, not the Gita's final teaching.
Something to reflect on
When I argue against acting, am I reasoning - or protecting my fear with predictions?
Read it in Yathora