Vishnu Courage & Righteousness Bhagavad Gita Verse
Bhagavad Gita 4.8: Krishna says he comes in every age to protect the good and to set dharma on a firm footing. Sanskrit text and meaning.
Sanskrit
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṃ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām |
dharma-saṃsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge ||
Meaning
To protect the good, to put an end to the doing of wrong, and to set dharma firmly in its place, I come into being in age after age.
Source / Textual Reference
Bhagavad Gita 4.8 (Chapter 4, verse 8)
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.
One online edition prints “साधुनां” and “धर्मसंस्थानार्थाय” in its Devanagari line, which look like typing slips; the same edition’s transliteration, and the other edition we compared, give the standard “sādhūnāṃ” and “dharmasaṃsthāpanārthāya”. We use the standard wording.
Traditional Significance
This verse follows Gita 4.7 and gives the purpose of the divine coming into the world: to protect the good (sādhu), to end wrongdoing and to restore dharma. “Yuga” is one of the long ages of the world in Indian tradition. The words are spoken by Krishna about what the divine does, as the Gita presents it.
Traditional Practice
The verse is read, studied and often quoted together with Gita 4.7. There is no fixed time or number of repetitions.
Related Content
- The verse before it, Gita 4.7
- Krishna Janmashtami
- Om Vishvam Vishnur Vashatkaro, the first verse of the Vishnu Sahasranama