यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदाऽऽत्मानं सृजाम्यहम्।।4.7।।
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय संभवामि युगे युगे।।4.8।।
O scion of the Bharata dynasty, whenever there is a decline in virtue and an increase in vice, then I manifest Myself.
For the protection of the pious, the destruction of the evil-doers, and the establishment of virtue, I manifest myself in every age.
Osho’s Commentary
Out of what compassion does the divine descend? Krishna lays it bare. “Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises, I create myself.” What is this dharma? It is not religion. It is the essential order of the cosmos, the harmony, the balance. When man’s greed, violence, and ego create a great dissonance, when the music of existence is disturbed, the divine intervenes. This intervention is born of compassion, karuna. Compassion is not a desire; it is an overflowing. A flower blooms and spreads its fragrance. It does not ask who is worthy. The clouds gather and rain falls upon all. An awakened soul is a reservoir of compassion. When he sees the world in misery, his compassion flows. He comes for the protection of the good (sadhus)—not the so-called virtuous, but those who are simple, innocent, and receptive to truth. He comes for the destruction of the wicked (dushkritam)—not to kill them, but to destroy their wickedness, their ignorance. And he comes to re-establish dharma, to restore the cosmic harmony. He is a musician who comes to retune the instrument of humanity when its strings have gone slack.