Kṛṣṇa in a named textual reading
Kṛṣṇa
Read the cited source passages on this page →
Meet Kṛṣṇa through a focused Gītā passage about divine manifestation, with links to devotion and further reading.
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A passage to begin with
In Bhagavad Gītā 4.7, Kṛṣṇa speaks of manifesting when religious practice declines and irreligion becomes prominent. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda’s translation presents this as the Lord’s descent. Read the verse in the dialogue with Arjuna, rather than as a detached statement without a speaker or setting.
Read the source
Source passages to read on this page
Read the selected passages in English below. Translation, commentary and handbook guidance are labeled separately; the adjacent links let you check the source.
Bhagavad Gītā 4.7
Kṛṣṇa speaks to Arjuna in the Gītā’s dialogue. The surrounding chapter remains linked for context.
Reference: Swami Swarupananda; Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati (1909); Ramakrishna Order / Advaita Vedānta. Check the cited passage or chapter →
English translation
Whenever, O descendant of Bharata, there is decline of Dharma, and rise of Adharma, then I body Myself forth.
Public-domain 1909 English translation. Line breaks and evident OCR errors corrected against the passage; translator’s comments are not included. Original Sanskrit is identified separately.
Read the original Sanskrit
Original Sanskrit · Devanāgarī
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदाऽऽत्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥ ७ ॥
Bhagavad Gītā 4.8
Kṛṣṇa speaks to Arjuna in the Gītā’s dialogue. The surrounding chapter remains linked for context.
Reference: Swami Swarupananda; Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati (1909); Ramakrishna Order / Advaita Vedānta. Check the cited passage or chapter →
English translation
For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of Dharma, I come into being in every age.
Public-domain 1909 English translation. Line breaks and evident OCR errors corrected against the passage; translator’s comments are not included. Original Sanskrit is identified separately.
Read the original Sanskrit
Original Sanskrit · Devanāgarī
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥ ८ ॥
What the commentary adds
Prabhupāda’s purport explains the verb sṛjāmi as manifestation rather than the creation of a new divine form. It connects divine appearances with a mission. This is his Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava interpretation; identifying the commentator matters when comparing understandings of Kṛṣṇa.
From reading to devotional questions
The bhakti guide introduces selected Gītā passages on devotion and offerings. The Gītā reading guide helps distinguish a verse from its translation and commentary. Use these together to build a small reading sequence before seeking instructions for a particular community’s worship.
- How does this source describe Kṛṣṇa’s relationship with the devotee?
- Which passage is a teacher referring to?
- Which prayer, language, and practice belong to the community I am visiting?
A reader’s notebook
Record the name Kṛṣṇa, the verse number 4.7, the translator, and a short account of what the passage says. Add questions in a separate column. When reading another edition, compare its wording and commentary without assuming that identical verse numbers imply identical interpretations.
Sources & scope
For short devotional readings, visit the related Prayer Library selections, with the supplied original wording and provisional English together.
VedaBase: Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 4.7 — Translation and commentary by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. This introduction follows one named reading of Kṛṣṇa’s teaching.
Source consulted October 7, 2026. This handbook’s orientation is not a substitute for the source’s complete text and explanation.