Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 4 › Verse 8
Bhagavad Gītā 4.8: To protect the good
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṃ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
dharmasaṃsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge
Meaning
For the protection of the good, for the destruction of wrongdoers, and for the firm establishment of dharma, I come into being age after age. It completes the thought of 4.7 and is often chanted together with it.
For children
Krishna says: “I come again and again, in every age, to keep good people safe and to make things right.”
This verse continues 4.7. Learners often memorise the two together.
Word by word
परित्राणाय साधूनां — To protect the good,
- paritrāṇa: protection
- sādhu: good people
विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् — to end the harm done by wrongdoers,
- vināśa: destruction, ending
- duṣkṛt: wrongdoer
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय — to set dharma firmly in place,
- dharma-saṃsthāpana: establishing dharma
- artha: for the sake of
सम्भवामि युगे युगे — I come, age after age
- sambhavāmi: I come into being
- yuga: age, era
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.