Why does Got take incarnation?

The Shloka

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यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।

अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।

धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥

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Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānirbhavati Bhārata.

Abhyutthānamadharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmyaham.

Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām.

Dharmasaṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge.

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Meaning / Summary

These verses are among the most famous and significant in the Bhagavad Gita, profoundly shaping the understanding of divine intervention and incarnation in Hinduism. They declare that the Supreme Being is not aloof but actively participates in the cosmic drama to uphold balance and order. It offers comfort and assurance to humanity that whenever evil prevails and righteousness wanes, the divine will descend to restore harmony. It emphasizes the cyclical nature of time (yugas) and the recurring necessity of divine intervention to protect the virtuous and punish the vicious, ensuring the preservation of dharma.

Whenever there is a decline of righteousness (dharma) and a rise of unrighteousness (adharma), O Bharata (Arjuna), then I manifest Myself. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of righteousness, I am born in every age (yuga) and age.

Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna that He takes birth in the world whenever there is a decline of righteous conduct and an increase in unrighteousness. His primary purpose for appearing is to protect the virtuous, destroy those who commit evil deeds, and re-establish the principles of dharma, manifesting Himself from one epoch to another.

These two verses from the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 4, Verses 7 and 8) are the pivotal declaration of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to Arjuna. Krishna reveals the profound reason behind His descents (avatars) into the material world. He states that His manifestation is not arbitrary but occurs in response to a critical imbalance in cosmic order. Specifically, when the practice and principles of dharma (righteousness, moral law, virtue, truth) suffer a severe decline, and conversely, adharma (unrighteousness, injustice, evil) gains overwhelming dominance, the Lord chooses to appear. His advent serves a threefold purpose: first, ‘paritrāṇāya sādhūnām’ – for the protection and deliverance of the devotees, the righteous, and the virtuous who are suffering due to the prevalence of evil. Second, ‘vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām’ – for the destruction and annihilation of the wicked, the evil-doers, and those who actively oppose divine order and inflict suffering. Third, and ultimately, ‘dharmasaṁsthāpanārthāya’ – for the firm re-establishment of dharma itself, ensuring that the eternal principles of righteousness are restored and maintained for the well-being of the universe. Krishna emphasizes that He performs this act ‘yuge yuge’ – in every age, indicating a continuous and cyclical process of divine intervention whenever such conditions arise, highlighting the timeless and eternal nature of this divine promise.

Sentence - 1

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यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।

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Meaning

Whenever there is a decline of righteousness, O Bharata (Arjuna),

Meaning of Words

यदा यदा	Yadā yadā
Whenever The repetition of ‘yadā’ (when) signifies ‘whenever’ or ‘at whatever time’ it happens.
हि	hi	Indeed, certainly
धर्मस्य	dharmasya
Of righteousness, of cosmic order ‘Dharma’ refers to righteousness, cosmic law, moral duty, virtuous conduct, and the underlying order of the universe. ‘Dharmasya’ is the genitive case, meaning ‘of dharma’.
ग्लानिर्भवति	glānirbhavati
There is a decline, degradation This word is a combination of ‘glāniḥ’ (decline, decay, degradation, weakening) and ‘bhavati’ (becomes, happens, there is). So, it means ‘a decline occurs’ or ‘becomes degraded’.
भारत	Bhārata
O Arjuna A vocative address to Arjuna, meaning ‘O descendant of Bharata’, a prominent ancestor of the Kuru dynasty to which both Arjuna and the Kauravas belonged.

Sentence - 2

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अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥

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Meaning

and a rise of unrighteousness, then I manifest Myself.

Meaning of Words

अभ्युत्थानम्	abhyutthānam
A rise, predominance Means ‘uprising’, ‘ascendancy’, or ‘overpowering presence’, indicating an increase or dominance.
अधर्मस्य	adharmasya
Of unrighteousness, of evil ‘Adharma’ is the opposite of dharma, referring to unrighteousness, injustice, impiety, or evil. ‘Adharmasya’ is the genitive case, meaning ‘of adharma’.
तदा	tadā	Then, at that time
आत्मानं	ātmānaṁ
Myself, the Self Here, referring to the Supreme Self, Lord Krishna, indicating that He reveals Himself in His divine form.
सृजामि	sṛjāmi
I create, I manifest From the root ‘sṛj’ (to create, to emanate). Here, it implies ‘I manifest’ or ‘I bring Myself forth’.
अहम्	aham	I

Sentence - 3

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परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।

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Meaning

For the protection of the good (righteous) and for the destruction of the wicked,

Meaning of Words

परित्राणाय	paritrāṇāya
For the protection, for the deliverance From ‘paritrāṇa’ (protection, deliverance, salvation). The ‘-āya’ ending denotes purpose, meaning ‘for the sake of protection’.
साधूनां	sādhūnāṁ
Of the righteous, of the good people ‘Sādhu’ refers to a righteous person, a saintly person, a virtuous individual. ‘Sādhūnāṁ’ is the genitive plural, meaning ‘of the righteous ones’.
विनाशाय	vināśāya
For the destruction, for the annihilation From ‘vināśa’ (destruction, ruin, annihilation). The ‘-āya’ ending denotes purpose, meaning ‘for the sake of destruction’.
च	ca	And
दुष्कृताम्	duṣkṛtām
Of the wicked, of the evildoers ‘Duṣkṛta’ means one who performs evil deeds, a miscreant, a wicked person. ‘Duṣkṛtām’ is the genitive plural, meaning ‘of the evildoers’.

Sentence - 4

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धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥

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Meaning

for the establishment of righteousness, I am born in every age (yuga).

Meaning of Words

धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय	dharmasaṁsthāpanārthāya
For the purpose of establishing righteousness This is a compound word: ‘dharma’ (righteousness) + ‘saṁsthāpana’ (re-establishment, firm establishment) + ‘arthāya’ (for the purpose of). Thus, ‘for the purpose of firmly establishing dharma’.
सम्भवामि	sambhavāmi
I am born, I appear, I incarnate From the root ‘bhū’ (to be, to exist) with the prefix ‘sam-’ (together, thoroughly). It means ‘I am born’, ‘I come into being’, or ‘I manifest’ (as an incarnation).
युगे युगे	yuge yuge
In age, in epoch The repetition of ‘yuge’ (in an age/yuga) means ‘in every age’ or ‘from age to age’. A ‘yuga’ is a specific epoch or era in Hindu cosmology, typically referring to the four great ages (Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali Yuga).

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