The influence of war extends to the connection between ancestors and descendants.

Section 42 also discusses aspects based on the traditional worldview of ancestor worship. It is believed that when the order of a household or clan collapses, rituals such as shraddha and tarpanam, which involve offering rice and water to ancestors, cease, leading to the loss of ancestral veneration, and that the spirits who have lost this veneration will decline.

It is necessary to read this not as a definitive value judgment in the modern sense, but as an understanding of the world where ancestors and descendants are connected through rituals. The impact of the war that Arjuna fears is not limited only to those who are currently alive. He believes that if the family tradition is broken and future generations do not know about the rituals, even the connection with past ancestors will be lost.

Japanese Translation from the Geeta Press Edition - Chapter 1, Section 42: "The Ancestral Rituals are Lost"

Those who are greedy and destroy their family, and those whose ancestral rites have ceased, their fathers fall into hell. Their offerings of rice balls and water become useless. || 42 ||

Vocabulary

saṅkaraḥ means "mixture of lineage."

"narakaya" means "to hell, to lead towards destruction."

"kulaghnānām" means "those who destroy a clan."

"kulasya ca" means "including the entire clan."

"patanti pitaraḥ" means "the ancestors also fall."

lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ means, the offering of rice and water, that is to say, the state where shradha and tarpana are lost.

Translation

"The offspring born from mixed lineage will not only destroy those who destroyed the clan, but also lead the entire clan to ruin."

The offering of cooked rice and water, in order to lose śraddhā and tarpana, the ancestral spirits of that family will also fall.

Annotative Translation

During the Shraddha ritual, offering rice dumplings to the ancestors, and performing rituals to appease the Brahmanas in order to satisfy the ancestors, are collectively called "Piṇḍakriyā."

The ritual of offering water to ancestors in Tarpanam is called Udakakriya.

These two, when combined, are called Piṇḍodakakriyā.

Generally, it is known as performing Shraddha and Tarpanam.

Those who know the commandments of the scriptures and traditional customs, and have faith in them, perform these rituals with respect.

However, in the homes of those who destroy a family, virtue is lost.

The offspring born as a result of the mixing of blood are products of wickedness, and are under the control of wickedness, therefore, they do not know anything about these rituals.

Even if someone teaches you, you may not do it because of a lack of faith.

Also, even if someone were to perform it by chance, because they lack the qualifications according to the rules of the sacred texts, the offering will not reach the ancestral spirits at all.

In this way, the ancestral spirits of a family who can no longer receive offerings of rice and water from their descendants fall from the world of ancestors.