यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत | अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् || 7 || परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् | धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे || 8 || |
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“Arjuna, whenever dharma declines and adharma dominates, I manifest Myself. In visible form, I appear in every yuga to protect the virtuous and destroy evil in order to reestablish righteousness.”
Commentary
Lord Krishna was born as an Avatar, one who has descended on earth as a world leader and a prophet. At the end of the descending cycle of Dwapara Yuga and beginning of Kali Yuga, He shared divine knowledge to guide man on the spiritual path. In every age, God manifests in a human body through the consciousness of realized people like Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Adi Shankaracharya and many others.
All are children of God and the greatest power that humans have is free will. Man can turn toward or against God and His teachings. According to the laws created by God, even prophets do not have the power to change a man unless he develops the will to change. Although God is supremely powerful, the only thing that He yearns is love. True love can be offered by man only when he turns his will toward God and lives according to His teachings. Life is arranged in such a way that man cannot find true love that is forever and happiness that is permanent unless he finds his Creator.
God does not really destroy evil as it is part of Maya on earth that goes on as a contemporary of good. If only good existed, man would not seek God at all, however God ensures that there is more good than bad. He enlightens man about the Law of Life. This Law or the eternal fire of Dharma benefits or harms man according to his own good and bad actions. Fire is not responsible for any consequence, but man can burn his hands in it or utilize it for a better purpose. God and His prophets almost always use patient and mild methods of spiritual persuasion to establish righteousness. They become the living examples of the highest virtues for others to follow and transform.