FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 4.8

పరిత్రాణాయ సాధునాం వినాశాయ చ దుష్కృతామ్ । ధర్మసంస్థానార్థాయ సమ్భవామి యుగే యుగే ॥ ౮ ॥
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ
[paritraanaaya saadhoonaam]
vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
[vinaashaaya cha dushkritaam]
dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya
[dharma-samsthaapanaarthaaya]
sambhavāmi yuge yuge
[sambhavaami yuge yuge]
Word-for-word
paritrāṇāya — for the deliverance sādhūnām — of the devotees vināśāya — for the annihilation ca — and duṣkṛtām — of the miscreants dharma — principles of religion saṁsthāpana - arthāya — to reestablish sambhavāmi — I do appear yuge — millennium yuge — after millennium .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ
paritrāṇāya
for the deliverance
sādhūnām
of the devotees
vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
vināśāya
for the annihilation
ca
and
duṣkṛtām
of the miscreants
dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya
dharma
principles of religion
saṁsthāpana - arthāya
to reestablish
sambhavāmi yuge yuge
sambhavāmi
I do appear
yuge
millennium
yuge
after millennium .
Important Words
  • paritrāṇāya — for the deliverance
    Pari + √trai — 'to rescue completely.' The pari- prefix means encompassing, total. Kṛṣṇa does not partially protect His devotees. The dative case names the *purpose* of descent.
  • sādhūnām — of the pious / saintly
    Genitive plural. From √sādh — 'to accomplish.' A sādhu is one whose life accomplishes the soul's purpose, not merely a virtuous person. Kṛṣṇa identifies a precise class of beneficiaries.
  • vināśāya — for the destruction
    Vi + √naś — 'to perish utterly.' Dative again, parallel to paritrāṇāya. The two purposes are grammatically twinned: protection and destruction share one mission.
  • duṣkṛtām — of the miscreants
    Duṣ + √kṛ — 'evil-doers,' those whose actions corrupt dharma. Not all of His enemies; specifically those whose work degrades the cosmic order.
  • dharma — principles of religion
    Re-establishment (saṁsthāpana) is the third purpose. Beyond protection and destruction, the constructive work — putting dharma back on its throne — completes the descent's mission.
  • yuge — in (each) age
    Locative of yuga. The Gītā repeats the word — yuge yuge — to mean 'in age after age.' The repeated locative makes the descent not a one-off but a periodic rhythm of cosmic time. The Lord returns as reliably as the seasons.
To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.
Purport

According to Bhagavad-gītā, a sādhu (holy man) is a man in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A person may appear to be irreligious, but if he has the qualifications of Kṛṣṇa consciousness wholly and fully, he is to be understood to be a sādhu. And duṣkṛtām applies to those who do not care for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Such miscreants, or duṣkṛtām, are described as foolish and the lowest of mankind, even though they may be decorated with mundane education, whereas a person who is one hundred percent engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is accepted as a sādhu, even though such a person may be neither learned nor well cultured. As far as the atheistic are concerned, it is not necessary for the Supreme Lord to appear as He is to destroy them, as He did with the demons Rāvaṇa and Kaṁsa. The Lord has many agents who are quite competent to vanquish demons. But the Lord especially descends to appease His unalloyed devotees, who are always harassed by the demoniac. The demon harasses the devotee, even though the latter may happen to be his kin. Although Prahlāda Mahārāja was the son of Hiraṇyakaśipu, he was nonetheless persecuted by his father; although Devakī, the mother of Kṛṣṇa, was the sister of Kaṁsa, she and her husband Vasudeva were persecuted only because Kṛṣṇa was to be born of them. So Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared primarily to deliver Devakī rather than kill Kaṁsa, but both were performed simultaneously. Therefore it is said here that to deliver the devotee and vanquish the demon miscreants, the Lord appears in different incarnations. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta of Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, the following verses ( Madhya 20.263–264) summarize these principles of incarnation: sṛṣṭi-hetu yei mūrti prapañce avatare sei īśvara-mūrti ‘avatāra’ nāma dhare māyātīta paravyome sabāra avasthāna viśve avatari’ dhare ‘avatāra’ nāma “The avatāra, or incarnation of Godhead, descends from the kingdom of God for material manifestation. And the particular form of the Personality of Godhead who so descends is called an incarnation, or avatāra. Such incarnations are situated in the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. When they descend to the material creation, they assume the name avatāra. ” There are various kinds of avatāras, such as puruṣāvatāras, guṇāvatāras, līlāvatāras, śakty-āveśa avatāras, manvantara-avatāras and yugāvatāras – all appearing on schedule all over the universe. But Lord Kṛṣṇa is the primeval Lord, the fountainhead of all avatāras. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa descends for the specific purpose of mitigating the anxieties of the pure devotees, who are very anxious to see Him in His original Vṛndāvana pastimes. Therefore, the prime purpose of the Kṛṣṇa avatāra is to satisfy His unalloyed devotees. The Lord says that He incarnates Himself in every millennium. This indicates that He incarnates also in the Age of Kali. As stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the incarnation in the Age of Kali is Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who spread the worship of Kṛṣṇa by the saṅkīrtana movement (congregational chanting of the holy names) and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout India. He predicted that this culture of saṅkīrtana would be broadcast all over the world, from town to town and village to village. Lord Caitanya as the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is described secretly but not directly in the confidential parts of the revealed scriptures, such as the Upaniṣads, Mahābhārata and Bhāgavatam. The devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa are very much attracted by the saṅkīrtana movement of Lord Caitanya. This avatāra of the Lord does not kill the miscreants, but delivers them by His causeless mercy.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
8. In every age I appear in order to protect the devotees, to destroy the demons and to establish dharma.
Commentary

“But Your devotees, the rājarṣis and brahmarṣis can rectify the destruction of dharma and the increase of adharma. Then why is it necessary that You make an appearance?” “That is true. But I come and perform feats which are very difficult for others to do.” That is expressed in this verse. I appear for delivering (trāṇāya) My dedicated devotees (sādhūnām) whose hearts are bursting with longing for Me, who are suffering due to their devotion; for destroying the evil-minded persons like Rāvaṇa, Kaṁsa and Keśī, who give suffering to My devotees, and who cannot be killed by anyone except Me; and for establishing in a firm way, the supreme dharma of meditating on Me, worshipping, serving Me and singing about Me, which cannot be instituted by anyone but Me (saṁsthāpanārthāya [Note: The prefix sam stands for samyak, correctly. The meaning of saṁsthāpanārthāya therefore is “for correctly establishing dharma” which others cannot do properly.]). I do this in every yuga in the day of Brahmā, or in every kalpa (day of Brahmā). In this act, one should not worry that the Lord is being prejudiced in punishing the evil-minded. By killing them, the Lord delivers even those most sinful asuras from samsāra and from receiving hellish punishment due to their various sinful actions. The Lord’s punishment in the form of killing should thus be seen as His mercy.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
8. In every age, I appear in order to protect the devotees, to destroy the demons and to establish dharma.
Commentary

“But your devotees, the saintly kings, appear to wipe out the rise of adharma and destruction of dharma. So why do You say that You appear in order to do this?” My devotees are absorbed in relishing My form and qualities, they long to see My form, and thus suffer from not seeing My form. In order to deliver them from this suffering, by showing My attractive form directly, I appear. I also appear to destroy those performing evil deeds (duṣkṛtām), persons like Rāvaṇa and Kaṁśa who cannot be killed by anyone except Me, and who torment My devotees. I also appear to spread dharma, pure bhakti yoga, with meditation on Me and deity worship only to Me, and vedic dharma as well, which cannot be spread by anyone other than Me. These are the three reasons for My appearance. At those times when this is necessary, I appear (yuge yuge). There is no impropriety in the Lord for killing the evil persons, for by bestowing on them the bliss of liberation on killing them, the cruelty is transformed into an act of mercy.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

COMMON THEME: Krishna reveals His transcendental position about His birth and activities

Text 4.5 and 4.6 talks about ‘His appearance and disappearance’
Text 4.5: My birth and death are not like yours
Text 4.6: I appear in My original transcendental form which is unborn and never dies , I appear by My own will
Texts 4.7 – 4.8 talks about ‘His activities.’ It explains when and why Krishna appears – reasons of descent:
When
Decline in religion
Predominant rise in irreligion
Why
To annihilate the demons
To deliver the devotees (from anxiety to see the Lord)
To re-establish the principles of religion
Text 4.9 – 4.10 talks about the result of understanding the knowledge of ‘transcendental birth’ (Texts 4.5 & 4.6) and ‘activities’ (Texts 4.7 & 4.8)
To be absorbed in Krishna
Become purified
Freed from attachment, fear and anger
Attain love for Krishna
Go back to Krishna (Transcendental abode)
No re-birth in material world

PLEASE NOTE: All Themes of Texts 4.5 – 4.10 are described above under the common theme and their purports

are described in their respective Focus of Learning sections below. Only some points of the purports of Texts 4.5

and 4.6, are described under the Summarsized Theme 4A.

SUMMARISED THEME 4A

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN KRISHNA AND THE CONDITIONED LIVING ENTITY
(4.5 – 4.6 purports)

S.No

Krishna

Conditioned Living entity

Eternal and remembers past, present and future (Acyuta: never forgets – infallible)
Eternal but forgets
Remembers all births because body does not change or deteriorate (Avyayam)
Forgets because body changes and deteriorates
Appears by own will
Forced to appear by karma
Body is transcendental
Body is material
No difference between body and self (Adwaita)
The soul acquires an external body (gross and subtle)

Focus of Learning

(a) Peculiarity of Lord’s birth

Lord appears like an ordinary person
But remembers many many past births
Common man cannot remember past few hours, therefore no-one can claim to be God

(b) Lord has many incarnations but He is original

Ref. Vedas – Analogy: Lord is like the Vaidurya stone which changes color but still remains one (Lord manifests so many innumerable forms)
Ref. Brahma-Samhita 5.33; 5.39

(c) Qualification to understand these multi-forms – and example of such a qualified person

Only by pure unalloyed devotion and not by simple study of the Vedas, can one understand
e.g. Arjuna incarnates as one of the associate devotees in all incarnations

(d) Difference between ‘devotee forgetting the nature of Lord’ and ‘demon not understanding’

Devotee may forget but by His divine grace, one immediately understands the infallible nature of the Lord
Non-devotee never understands

(e) Living entity can never equal the Lord (4.5)

Lord is Achyuta (Infallible) – Never forgets Himself and His previous births even in material contact
Lord is Advaita – There is no distinction between His body and Self, therefore He does not change His spiritual body and never forgets His past births
Living entity, however great, spiritually liberated or materially great, can never equal the Lord, e.g. Arjuna
Materially – He is famous as ‘Parantapa’ (Subduer of enemies)
Spiritually – is one of the liberated associates

(f) ‘Atma-maya’ (4.6) – means

Lord descends by ‘internal potency’ and not by ‘external potency’
Lord’s body and intelligence never deteriorates (‘avyayam’) and is never contaminated by material nature (thus it defeats Mayavada teaching)
Prakriti means nature or ‘svarupa’ (own form)
Analogy: His appearance and disappearance are likes the sun’s rising and setting
He is always the “Lord of all living entities” – evident by wonderful and superhuman acts on Earth
‘Atma-maya’ also means that Lord descends by ‘causeless mercy’ so that we can concentrate on His form as He is and not on ‘Mental concoctions and imaginations’
Ref. Amara-kosa dictionary

(a) Definition of Sadhu – A man in Krishna consciousness, apparently may be irreligious but if he is

wholly and fully Krishna conscious, he is a sadhu

(b) Definition of ‘Duskrtam’ – Does not care for Krishna consciousness

(c) Prime purpose of any Avatara

To appease His unalloyed devotees e.g. Prahlada Maharaja and Devaki
Otherwise the athiests can be dealt with by the Lord’s agents

(d) Ref. Caitanya-caritamrta on (Principles of Incarnation)

The avatara, or incarnation of Godhead, descends from the kingdom of God for material manifestation
And the particular form of the Personality of Godhead who descends is called an incarnation, or avatara
Such incarnations are situated in the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. When they descend to the material creation, they assume the name avatara

(e) Why specifically does Lord Krishna descend (Prime purpose) – To mitigate anxieties of pure

devotees who are anxious to see His Vrindavana pastimes

(a) How the Lord incarnates – By His internal potency – This is indicated by the word ‘Srjami’

Meaning of ‘Srjami’ – Lord is not created or born but “manifests” as per free will
‘Srjami’ is mentioned as “manifests” because Text 4.6 refutes the Lord being born or created, by calling Him as ‘aja’

(b) When does the Lord incarnate – Usual schedule of Lord’s appearance

End of Dvapara-yuga of 28th millennium of seventh Manu of a day of Brahma
But no obligation to rule

(c) For what purpose does the Lord decend – Lord comes to establish “principles of dharma”

What are the ‘principles of dharma’ – Direct orders of Supreme Personality of Godhead
Ref. SB 6.3.19 “Dharmam tu…”
What is ‘Highest dharma’ – Surrender unto Him only

(d) Certain facts about ‘Avatara’

Mission: Comes with mission, e.g. Lord Buddha came to establish Vedic principles of ‘Non-violence’
Sanctioned: Mentioned in scriptures – criteria to accept
Place: Can appear anywhere, not only on Indian soil
Message: Speaks as per audience, e.g. higher and lower mathematics
Common mission:
To lead people to God-consciousness,
Obedience to the principles of religion

(e) Bhagavad-gita is for highly advanced people, e.g. Arjuna (higher principles of religion begin with

Varna-asrama)

(a) Liberation of living entity from material bondage is not very easy – Two paths are possible:

Path of impersonalism and yoga
Path of devotees

(b) Path of Impersonalists and yogis

Endeavor – Not very easy - many, many births
Goal – Only partial success, brahmajyoti
Safety – Risk of fall-down

(c) Path of Devotees in Krishna consciousness

Endeavor – Very easy, one has to simply understand the transcendental nature of Lord’s birth and activities (4.9)
Goal – Abode of Krishna – Thus complete success is assured
Safety – Lord protects from falldown again into the material world

(d) Who can attain ‘Perfection of liberation’

A faithful devotee, who accepts Krishna’s protection with faith
One who accepts Krishna as Supreme Personality of Godhead
He has many transcendental forms
These forms have relations with unalloyed devotees
One who does not waste time in philosophical speculations
Ref. Brahma Samhita, Vedas, Svetasvatara Upanisad (study purport)

(e) Fate of other processes like empiric philosophers and puffed-up mundane scholars

Waste of time
May get important roles in material world, not liberation
Analogy: licking the outer surface of a bottle of honey

(f) What is the hope for these speculators etc. – ‘Only causeless mercy of devotee of the Lord’

(g) Conclusive suggestion – Cultivate Krishna consciousness with faith and knowledge and attain

perfection

(f) Who is the ‘Avatara’ for Kali-yuga – Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu

How does he spread religion and deliver miscreants – Propogated Sankirtan Movement throughout India
Sastric proof – This Avatara is mentioned secretly and not directly in Upanisads, Mahabharata and Srimad Bhagavatam
Mission
He does not kill but delivers by causeless mercy
Predicts the broadcast of Sankirtana movement all over the world
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
4.8 Paritranaya, for the protection; sadhunam, of the pious, the followers of the virtuous path; vinasaya, for the destruction; duskrtam, of the evil-doers, of the sinful ones; and also dharmasamsthapanarthaya, for establishing virtue fully;-for that purpose, sambhavami, I manifest Myself; yuge yuge, in every age.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
4.8 The good are those who follow the Dharma, as defined above. They are the foremost among the Vaisnavas, who have taken refuge in Me. While My name, acts and form are inaccessible to speech and thought, these devotees cannot get support, sustenance etc., for themselves without perceiving Me. They regard even a moment's time without Me as a thousand Kalpas. They become broken in every limb because of the separation from Me. So I am born from age to age in the forms of gods, men etc., for protecting them by affording them the opportunity to behold My form and acts and to converse with Me. I am born also for the destruction of those who are opposed to such devotees and for the restoration of declining Vedic Dharma, which consists of My worship. The main purpose of incarnation is the revealing of His adorable form, so that all may worship Him. The destruction of the wicked is secondary only. There is no specific restrictions of the Yugas like Krta, Treta etc., for the appearance of Divine Incarnations.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
4.8 See Comment under 4.9
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
4.8 For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of righteousness, I am born in every age.
Commentary

4.8 परित्राणाय for the protection? साधूनाम् of the good? विनाशाय for the destruction? च and? दुष्कृताम् of the wicked? धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय for the establishment of righteousness? संभवामि (I) am born? युगे युगे in every age.Commentary Sadhunam The good who lead a life of righteousness? who utiles their bodies in the service of humanity? who are free from selfishness? lust and greed? and who devote their lives to divine contemplation.Dushkritam Evildoers who lead a life of unrighteousness? who break the laws of the society? who are vain and are dishonest and greedy? who injure others? who take possession of the property of others by force? and who commit atrocious crimes of various sorts.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
4.8 For the protection of the pious, the destruction of the evil-doers, and establishing virtue, I manifest Myself in every age.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
4.8 To protect the righteous, to destroy the wicked and to establish the kingdom of God, I am reborn from age to age.
Related values & verses
Primary values
Nyaya (Justice / Righteous Judgment)Raksha (Protective Responsibility)
Related values
Prema (Divine Love)Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Dana (Charity / Generosity)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Yajña (Sacrifice / Spirit of Offering)
Related verses
BG 4.7 BG 9.31 BG 16.19 SB 1.7.25 SB 7.8.17 SB 10.1.22 CC Ādi 3.20 CC Ādi 3.50 CC Madhya 6.99 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.7Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13
Stories
raksha_sb_primary
Study Q&A referencing this verse
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
To deliver the pious, annihilate the miscreants, and re-establish dharma — I appear millennium after millennium.
Practical Applications
  • Stand on the side of dharma — Kṛṣṇa is already there.
  • Trust that protection of devotees is His personal commitment.
  • Do not fear opposition; remember on whose side you stand.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I trying to protect myself when Kṛṣṇa has promised to?
  • What dharmic stance am I being called to take?
Analogy

A king has two responsibilities at once when he rides out: protect the innocent in the villages, and remove the bandits who prey on them. He does not see these as separate missions. Kṛṣṇa's descent has the same double form — paritrāṇa and vināśa are one motion, like inhale and exhale.

Stories
Rāma and the rākṣasas at Daṇḍakāraṇya

Through the long forest exile, Rāma simultaneously protected the ṛṣis of Daṇḍakāraṇya — who had been harassed by night-prowling rākṣasas — and destroyed those rākṣasas one band after another. The two acts were never separated in His mind: protect the sādhus, remove the duṣkṛts.

When Sītā gently asked whether so much killing was necessary, He replied that the ṛṣis had asked Him for protection and a king cannot half-answer such a request. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām and vināśāya duṣkṛtām were one breath.

Kṛṣṇa at Kurukṣetra

On the battlefield itself, the verse plays out in real time. Kṛṣṇa drives the chariot of a sādhu (Arjuna); the field is being cleared of those who supported Duryodhana's adharma; the principles of dharma are being restored to a throne that had been usurped.

Yuge yuge — millennium after millennium. The Gītā itself is the sound of this verse being enacted as it is being spoken.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 4