Vishnu Courage & Righteousness Bhagavad Gita Verse
Bhagavad Gita 4.7: Krishna says that whenever dharma weakens and adharma rises, he sends himself forth. Sanskrit text and simple meaning.
Sanskrit
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata |
abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṃ sṛjāmy aham ||
Meaning
Whenever dharma (what is right) grows weak, Arjuna, and adharma (what is wrong) rises, then I send myself forth.
Source / Textual Reference
Bhagavad Gita 4.7 (Chapter 4, verse 7)
The Bhagavad Gita is part of the Mahabharata. It records a talk between Krishna and the warrior Arjuna on the field of Kurukshetra, just before a great battle. Krishna is the speaker.
Traditional Significance
These words of Krishna are the basis of the idea of avatāra, the divine coming into the world, in the Vaishnava tradition. “Dharma” is a wide word: the right way of living, duty and the order that holds the world together. Krishna’s own birth is celebrated at Krishna Janmashtami.
The verse continues in Gita 4.8, which gives the purpose.
Traditional Practice
The verse is read, studied and often quoted in talks on the Gita and in Krishna devotion. There is no fixed time or number of repetitions.
Related Content
- The next verse, Gita 4.8
- Krishna Janmashtami
- Om Vishvam Vishnur Vashatkaro, the first verse of the Vishnu Sahasranama