4.7
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥
yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṃ sṛjāmy aham
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna.
The verse
Whenever dharma thins and adharma rises, Bhārata (भारत), then I send myself forth.
नेपालीमा
जब जब धर्म पातलिन्छ र अधर्म उठ्छ, हे भारत, तब म आफूलाई पठाउँछु।
Where it sits
4.6 said he can come to be without ceasing to be unborn, and this verse says the occasion is not a date but the thinning of dharma. 4.8 will say what the coming-forth is for.
Split: यदा + यदा + हि + धर्मस्य + ग्लानिः + भवति + भारत + अभ्युत्थानम् + अधर्मस्य + तदा + आत्मानम् + सृजामि + अहम्
yadā + yadā + hi + dharmasya + glāniḥ + bhavati + bhārata + abhyutthānam + adharmasya + tadā + ātmānam + sṛjāmi + aham
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| यदा | yadā | indeclinable | when. |
| यदा | yadā | indeclinable | when. Said twice: whenever, not once. |
| हि | hi | indeclinable | indeed. |
| धर्मस्य | dharmasya | genitive | of dharma. |
| ग्लानिः | glāniḥ | nominative | a thinning, a failing. |
| भवति | bhavati | present, 3rd singular | comes to be, happens. |
| भारत | bhārata | vocative | descendant of Bharata (भरत). Arjuna. |
| अभ्युत्थानम् | abhyutthānam | nominative | a rising up. |
| अधर्मस्य | adharmasya | genitive | of adharma. What stands against dharma. |
| तदा | tadā | indeclinable | then. Answers yadā (यदा). |
| आत्मानम् | ātmānam | accusative | myself. |
| सृजामि | sṛjāmi | present, 1st singular | I send forth, I emit. From sṛj (सृज्). |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
The phrases
yadā yadā hi dharmasya glāniḥ bhavati bhārata (यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिः भवति भारत) is the first half of the condition. Whenever dharma thins. The doubled yadā (यदा) is the "whenever." glāniḥ bhavati (ग्लानिः भवति) is recited glānir bhavati (ग्लानिर्भवति): visarga before a voiced consonant becomes r (र्).
अभ्युत्थानम् अधर्मस्य abhyutthānam adharmasya is the other half, sharing bhavati (भवति). And whenever adharma rises. m (म्) before the vowel is written m (म्): abhyutthānam adharmasya (अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य).
tadā ātmānam sṛjāmi aham (तदा आत्मानम् सृजामि अहम्) is the answer to the condition. Then I send myself forth. tadā ātmānam (तदा आत्मानम्) is tadātmānam (तदात्मानम्). sṛjāmi aham (सृजामि अहम्) is sṛjāmy aham (सृजाम्यहम्).
Sanskrit in this line
yadā yadā (यदा यदा) and tadā (तदा) are a pair. The doubled yadā (यदा) means "whenever," and tadā (तदा) means "then," on that same occasion. Do not translate the first yadā (यदा) as one historical moment. The second line is what he does each time the first line is true.
Say it back
The condition, then the act. If yadā (यदा) is said only once, or if sṛjāmi (सृजामि) is given a subject other than aham (अहम्), stay here.