Shloka · Bhagavad Gita 4.7–8
Bhagavad Gita 4.7–8 “Yada yada hi dharmasya”: meaning and explanation
Krishna’s promise: whenever goodness declines, the Divine returns to restore it. Two verses that have given people hope for centuries.
Verses checked against the source texts · Drafted with AI help and reviewed before publishing · Last reviewed 2026-11-12 · How we write
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥
yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge
Bhagavad Gita 4.7–8
Meaning
Whenever righteousness declines and unrighteousness rises, O Arjuna, I bring myself forth. To protect the good, to destroy the wicked, and to firmly establish dharma, I appear in every age.
हिंदी में अर्थ
हे भारत, जब-जब धर्म की हानि होती है और अधर्म बढ़ता है, तब-तब मैं स्वयं को प्रकट करता हूँ। सज्जनों की रक्षा, दुष्टों के विनाश और धर्म की फिर से स्थापना के लिए मैं हर युग में प्रकट होता हूँ।
Word by word
The context
In chapter 4, Krishna tells Arjuna that he first taught this yoga long ago, to the Sun god Vivasvan. Arjuna is puzzled: Krishna was born recently — how could he have taught anyone so long ago? Krishna explains that though he is unborn and eternal, he takes birth through his own power (4.6), and then speaks these two verses. They are the Gita’s classic statement of the avatāra, the Divine descending into the world.
What it means for us
Dharma has no single English word. It means duty, righteousness, and the order that holds life together. Its decline is visible in a society — and in a person — when convenience starts to outweigh what is right.
Questions people ask
What is the meaning of “yada yada hi dharmasya”?
“Whenever dharma declines” — the opening of Gita 4.7, where Krishna says he manifests whenever righteousness declines and wrongdoing rises.
Which chapter is “yada yada hi dharmasya” in?
Chapter 4 of the Bhagavad Gita, verses 7 and 8.
What does “sambhavami yuge yuge” mean?
“I come into being age after age” — Krishna’s promise to appear in every era to protect the good and restore dharma.