Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 4 › Verse 7
Bhagavad Gītā 4.7: Whenever goodness fades
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥
yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānirbhavati bhārata
abhyutthānamadharmasya tadātmānaṃ sṛjāmyaham
Meaning
Whenever there is a decline of dharma and a rise of adharma, O Bhārata, then I manifest myself. The verse is a classic statement of the idea of avatāra.
For children
Krishna says: “Whenever goodness gets weak and unkindness grows strong, I come to help.”
Kṛṣṇa reveals to Arjuna why he takes birth in the world again and again.
Word by word
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य — Whenever dharma
- yadā yadā: whenever
- dharma: what is right; the order that sustains life
ग्लानिर्भवति भारत — grows weak, Arjuna,
- glāni: decline, weakening
- bhavati: happens
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य — and wrongdoing rises up,
- abhyutthāna: rising up
- adharma: what is not right
तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् — then I come forth
- ātmānam: myself
- sṛjāmi: I send forth, I manifest
- aham: I
Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse. The Sanskrit is checked against four editions; meanings and word notes are simple learning aids written for MahaPrabha Gurukul, awaiting review by a Sanskrit teacher.