Bhagavad Gita 4.7
When dharma declines, the divine manifests
Jnana Karma Sannyasa Yoga · Knowledge and the Renunciation of Action
Original Sanskrit
Bhagavad Gita verse 4.7 in Sanskrit
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदाऽऽत्मानं सृजाम्यहम्॥४.७॥
yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṃ sṛjāmy aham
Plain-language meaning
What the verse says
Whenever dharma loses strength and adharma rises, Krishna says that he brings himself into manifestation.
Context in the dialogue
Krishna has just explained that divine action is not bound in the same way as ordinary action. This verse begins a paired statement about divine manifestation; the following verse describes its protective and restorative purpose. Traditions understand this manifestation through their own teachings on avatara.
Key Sanskrit terms
- dharma
- sustaining order, duty, or right conduct
- glāniḥ
- decline or weakening
- adharmasya
- of disorder or unrighteousness
- sṛjāmi
- I bring forth or manifest
- ātmānam
- myself
Reflection for daily life
Practice the principle
Large moral repair may feel beyond one person, but dharma is also restored through ordinary choices: protect what is vulnerable, resist what causes harm, and rebuild trustworthy practices where you stand.