Universal
Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya — Gita 4.7–8
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत । अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥ परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् । धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥
Simple reading
Ya-daa ya-daa hi dhar-mas-ya glaa-nir bha-va-ti bhaa-ra-ta, abh-yut-thaa-nam a-dhar-mas-ya ta-daat-maa-nam sri-jaam-ya-ham. Pa-rit-raa-naa-ya saa-dhoo-naam vi-naa-shaa-ya cha dush-kri-taam, dhar-ma san-sthaa-pa-naar-thaa-ya sam-bha-vaa-mi yu-ge yu-ge
Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge
About this mantra
Krishna's promise: whenever dharma declines, he arises, age after age, to protect the good and re-establish the right.
Meaning
Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises, O Bharata, then I bring myself forth. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of wrongdoing, and to establish dharma, I arise age after age. The promise lives in the present tense of eternity: sambhavami, I arise. Not once, but whenever. Dharma's low points, the verse says, are appointments, not abandonments.
Learn it by heart
Say the first line until it comes without reading, then add the next line and say both, until the whole mantra comes on its own.
Line 1 of 4
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।
Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge
0not said yet
Aim for eleven before the next line. Move on when the line comes without reading.
Progress stays on this device.
When to recite it
Gita Jayanti and Janmashtami hold it; recited when the news is dark, when institutions fail, and whenever hope needs its oldest guarantee.
Word by word
- यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिःyadā yadā hi dharmasya glāniḥ
- whenever dharma declines
- अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्यabhyutthānam adharmasya
- and adharma rises
- तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham
- then I bring myself forth
- परित्राणाय साधूनांparitrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ
- for the protection of the good
- विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
- and for the destruction of wrongdoers
- धर्मसंस्थापनार्थायdharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya
- to establish dharma firmly
- सम्भवामि युगे युगेsambhavāmi yuge yuge
- I arise age after age
Source: Bhagavad Gītā 4.7–4.8