Bhagavad GitaBhagavad Gita 4.7
Chapter 4, verse 7: the Sanskrit, the Roman letters, the meaning and what it is used for.
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 righteousness, O Bharata, and a rise of unrighteousness, then I send forth myself.
Explanation
This verse and the next are the basis of the idea of the avatar in many Hindu traditions: that the divine takes birth in the world when it is needed. In a reading that does not depend on belief in avatars, the verse is a statement of hope that moral order can be restored and that people will come forward to restore it.
Where it fits
This is verse 7 of 42 in chapter 4, "Knowledge, action and renunciation" (Jnana Karma Sannyasa Yoga). previous verse (4.6) · next verse (4.8)
Related verses
- Bhagavad Gita 4.8
- Bhagavad Gita 7.14
- Bhagavad Gita 9.22
- Bhagavad Gita 9.26
- Bhagavad Gita 10.8
- Bhagavad Gita 15.15
Questions people ask
What does Bhagavad Gita 4.7 mean?
Whenever there is a decline of righteousness, O Bharata, and a rise of unrighteousness, then I send forth myself.
Where is this verse?
It is verse 7 of chapter 4 (Knowledge, action and renunciation), which has 42 verses.
Meanings and explanations are our own wording, not an authorised translation. Readers of the Gita follow different traditions and teachers; please ask yours about what you read here.