7.27 - Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 7, Verse 27

Bhagavad Gita verse 7.27 reveals a profound insight into why most souls remain distant from understanding Krishna's true nature. In this verse, Krishna addresses Arjuna as "O descendant of Bharat" and "O conqueror of enemies," using these honorific titles to emphasize the importance of what He is about to share. Krishna explains that all living entities are born into a state of delusion, bewildered by the dualities that arise from desire and aversion.

The Sanskrit phrase "icchā-dveṣa-samutthena dvandva-mohena" points to the root cause of this delusion: the dualities born from desire (icchā) and hate (dveṣa). From the very moment of creation, living beings become entangled in this web of attraction and repulsion. We are naturally drawn to objects that seem to offer pleasure to our senses, while we recoil from those that appear to threaten our enjoyment. This constant oscillation between wanting and rejecting creates a fundamental delusion that colors our perception of reality.

Krishna emphasizes that this condition affects "sarva-bhūtāni" – all living entities – indicating the universal nature of this challenge. No one in the material world is exempt from this influence. The phrase "sarge yānti" suggests that this delusion is present from the very beginning of our existence in this world, making it particularly difficult to overcome. It is not something we develop over time; rather, it is a condition we are born into based on our previous karmic impressions and tendencies.

This state of delusion creates a veil that prevents us from seeing the world as it truly is. Instead of perceiving the underlying unity of existence, we become fixated on apparent differences and opposites. We categorize experiences as good or bad, desirable or undesirable, pleasurable or painful. This dualistic vision fragments our understanding and keeps us trapped in a limited perspective. When we are caught in this web of duality, we fail to recognize Krishna's true nature and remain distant from divine understanding.

The delusion mentioned in this verse manifests as extreme attachment to worldly relationships, possessions, and status. We become so deeply invested in pursuing what we desire and avoiding what we dislike that we lose sight of deeper spiritual truths. Our energy and attention become consumed by the constant pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain, leading to further entanglement in the material world rather than liberation from it.

Krishna is revealing a fundamental obstacle on the spiritual path: the tendency to view everything through the lens of our personal likes and dislikes. When we allow these preferences to dominate our consciousness, we create a distorted reality that conforms to our desires rather than seeing what truly is. This distortion makes it nearly impossible to perceive Krishna's true nature, which transcends all material dualities. Only those rare souls who have begun to rise above the influence of attraction and aversion can begin to glimpse the divine reality beyond these pairs of opposites.

This verse serves as both a diagnosis of our spiritual condition and an invitation to transcend it. By understanding how deeply the dualities of desire and aversion affect our perception, we can begin the process of moving beyond them. Krishna is not merely explaining why most people fail to know Him in His fullness; He is also pointing toward the solution – developing awareness of how these dualities operate in our consciousness and cultivating the discrimination to rise above them. When we can see beyond the immediate pull of attraction and repulsion, we open ourselves to a deeper understanding of Krishna's divine nature that remains hidden to those still caught in the web of duality.