Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 4: Knowledge and the Renouncing of Action

Bhagavad Gita 4.8

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṃ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām | dharmasaṃsthāpanārthāya saṃbhavāmi yuge yuge ||

To protect the good, to destroy the wicked, and to establish dharma again, I come into being in age after age.

Modern context

Three purposes are given: to protect the good, to end the power of those who do harm, and to set right order on a firm footing again. The third is the goal, and the first two serve it. The same order of priorities holds for anyone trying to put right a family, a workplace or a community. Shield those who are doing right, stop the harm, and above all rebuild the conditions in which right conduct is normal. Punishing the offender repairs little if nothing is rebuilt afterwards.