Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 7, Verse 27

इच्छाद्वेषसमुत्थेन द्वन्द्वमोहेन भारत । सर्वभूतानि सम्मोहं सर्गे यान्ति परन्तप

icchādveṣasamutthena dvandvamohena bhārata | sarvabhūtāni sammohaṃ sarge yānti parantapa

Translation

From the delusion of pairs caused by desire and aversion, O Bhārata, all beings are subject to illusion at birth, O harasser of thy foes.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

icchādveṣasamutthena

from desire, and, from hate, and, arises, this, by it

dvandvamohena

of the pair, by the delusion

bhārata

O Bhārata

sarvabhūtāni

all beings

sammoham

to delusion

sarge

in creation

yānti

go

parantapa

O Parantapa

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

The very desire and aversion which are opposed to each other like heat and cold, and which, arising in connection with pleasure and pain and their causes, occur to every being in its turn, are known as pairs (dvandva). Now, when desire and aversion arise on the occurrence of pleasure and pain or of the causes thereof, they cause delusion in all beings and create obstruction to the rise of a knowledge of the Supreme Reality, the Self, by subjugating to themselves the intelligence of those beings. To one whose mind is subject to the passions of desire and aversion, there cannot indeed arise a knowledge of things as they are, even of the external world; and it needs no saying that to a man whose intellect is overpowered by passion there cannot arise a knowledge of the Innermost Self, inasmuch as there are many obstacles in its way. All creatures coming into existence are born subject to this delusion. Wherefore every being has its intelligence obscured by the delusion of pairs; and thus deluded it knows not that I am the Self, and therefore worships Me not as the Self.