Gita 04.08 – Let Krishna establish dharma within

Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-04-08-let-krishna-establish-dharma-within/

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ
vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya
sambhavāmi yuge yuge (Bg 4.8)

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.

Translation:
To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.

Explanation:
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa explains the reasons why He appears in this world:
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ: to deliver the saintly,
vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām: to annihilate the miscreants,
dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya: to reestablish the principles of religion,
sambhavāmi yuge yuge: I manifest Myself, millennium after millennium.

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s translation of yuge yuge as “millennium after millennium” is an approximation. A millennium is not exactly the same as a yuga. Śrīla Prabhupāda employs a non-literal translation here to emphasize the core principle—that Kṛṣṇa comes again and again.

In modern usage, a millennium typically refers to a span of a thousand years, based on calendar systems or human history. But in Sanskrit, yuga refers to specific cosmological time divisions. These could be understood in terms of Brahmā’s lifespan—such as one day of Brahmā—or in terms of manvantaras, of which there are fourteen in one day of Brahmā. Alternatively, yuga can refer to the four repeating ages: Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, and Kali-yuga.

Whichever way we understand it, the word millennium in English does not fully convey the meaning of yuga. Still, it is used here to communicate the essential point—that Kṛṣṇa is so merciful that He keeps coming again and again.

The previous verse stated that He appears whenever there is a decline in religion. In that sense, this verse is a continuation. Here, Kṛṣṇa emphasizes that He comes to re-establish religion.

We shouldn’t think of dharma as some abstract concept—like, for example, Kṛṣṇa is explaining something impersonal, such as temperature balance. Suppose the temperature drops significantly somewhere—how do we restore it? First, we assess the situation: has it become too cold? If so, we may turn on a heater to raise the temperature. We may also identify the cause of the drop—perhaps an air cooler is running—and turn that off.

In the same way, to keep the dharma meter in balance, two factors must be considered: what causes dharma to decline, and what helps dharma to rise. We must identify what is pulling dharma down and stop it, and also recognize what is supporting dharma and empower it. This is precisely what Kṛṣṇa does—dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya—for the sake of reestablishing dharma.

The cosmic order is restored by checking and stopping those who disrupt it. That is why He also says vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām—to destroy the miscreants who threaten the cosmic balance.

Kṛṣṇa ends the reign of terror and destruction caused by the tyrannical. At the same time, He delivers the saintly. When exploitative, antisocial, and oppressive forces rule the world, the spiritually minded—the saintly—feel repressed. Though they continue their devotion with determination, they live under constant threat.

Kṛṣṇa liberates them from that threat so they can practice dharma freely and enthusiastically. In doing so, they become empowered to attract others to the path of dharma. That is the principle conveyed in this verse.

At a higher level, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ also refers to the devotees’ deep longing to see Kṛṣṇa and the intense suffering they feel in separation from Him. When Kṛṣṇa appears, He delivers them from that agony of separation. This is the deeper, devotional meaning.

In the immediate context of the verse, it also means that Kṛṣṇa establishes dharma by delivering the saintly—those who protect, embody, and propagate dharma. When such individuals are troubled or threatened, Kṛṣṇa relieves their anxiety. He removes the obstacles in their path and empowers them to continue their practice, propagation, and protection of dharma.

When we seek shelter in Kṛṣṇa, dharma must be established not only in the world around us but also within our own hearts. To establish dharma internally, we must remove what is adharmic and reinforce what is dharmic.

When we invite Kṛṣṇa into our hearts—through prayer, through chanting His holy names, through remembering Him—He performs this very function within us as well.

Sometimes we say, “I don’t feel like chanting.” But that is precisely when we need to chant the most. When we don’t feel like remembering Kṛṣṇa, that is when we need to remember Him the most. Why? Because it is the soul’s natural condition to remember and love Kṛṣṇa. And the further the soul drifts from its natural state, the more that natural state begins to seem undesirable—while the unnatural starts to appear attractive.

In other words, the more we are distanced from spiritual consciousness, the more the soul’s innate inclination to love and serve Kṛṣṇa feels unappealing. We start to think, “Why should I do this?” At the same time, the unnatural condition—pursuing sensual pleasures—starts to seem desirable.

Even if our feelings go off track, we should not let our intelligence follow. If our intelligence remains steady, it will alert us that misaligned feelings are a sure sign of danger—and if left unchecked, a sign of impending disaster.

Just as Kṛṣṇa descends into the world when adharma prevails, similarly, we need His descent into our hearts the most when adharmic feelings begin to dominate our consciousness. That is when He is most eager to manifest—eager to protect us. But for that to happen, we must call out to Him.

Kṛṣṇa desires to manifest in our hearts, but He never encroaches on our free will. At the same time, it’s not that—out of respect for our freedom—He passively allows us to walk into ruin. No, He wants to help us.

When we make the effort to remember Him, to serve Him, to call out to Him, we are expressing our desire: “Kṛṣṇa, I want You to manifest in my heart.” And when we call out in this way, Kṛṣṇa—who is ever eager to rescue us from the clutches of adharma—will indeed manifest within our hearts and deliver us. That deliverance is the supreme perfection of our lives.

By remembering that Kṛṣṇa is eager to restore dharma, we can continue our own efforts to practice dharma—even when our desire seems feeble, and even when adharmic impulses seem overwhelmingly strong. Kṛṣṇa has come to establish dharma, and He continues to come, again and again, for that purpose.

If we call out to Him—even with whatever little sincerity or strength we have—and try to open our hearts as much as we can, He will enter. He will help establish dharma within us. And when He takes that struggle into His own hands, it becomes far easier to win than it would be if we were trying to fight alone.

By knowing that we don’t have to fight alone—and that Kṛṣṇa is ready to take up our battle as His own—we gain great strength. We can call out to Him, and He will sambhavāmi—manifest in our heart—and help us. His presence will dramatically tilt the scales in our inner war and empower us to emerge victorious.

Thank you.