Gita 07.27 – Go beyond duality by spirituality

Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-07-27-go-beyond-duality-by-spirituality/

icchā-dveṣa-samutthena
dvandva-mohena bhārata
sarva-bhūtāni sammohaṁ
sarge yānti paran-tapa (Bg 7.27)

Word-to-word:
icchā — desire; dveṣa — and hate; samutthena — arisen from; dvandva — of duality; mohena — by the illusion; bhārata — O scion of Bharata; sarva — all; bhūtāni — living entities; sammoham — into delusion; sarge — while taking birth; yānti — go; param-tapa — O conqueror of enemies.

Translation:
O scion of Bharata, O conqueror of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, bewildered by dualities arisen from desire and hate.

Explanation:
icchā-dveṣa-samutthena: Arising from desire and aversion
dvandva-mohena bhārata: by the delusion born of dualities, O descendant of Bharata
sarva-bhūtāni sammohaṁ: all living beings fall into bewilderment
sarge yānti paran-tapa: at the time of creation (birth), O conqueror of enemies

Kṛṣṇa now explains how souls come under illusion. In verse 25, He said that because they are covered by māyā, they cannot know Him. Verse 26 clarified that He Himself is never covered; He is omniscient and knows everything—past, present, and future (vedāhaṁ samatītāni vartamānāni cārjuna bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni). The relationship is like the sun and the clouds: the sun remains above the clouds, while people below are covered by them. The clouds never cover the sun; they cover only those standing beneath them. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is never under illusion. We are the ones who come under illusion.

The question naturally arises: how did we fall under illusion? Kṛṣṇa explains that it is because of our attachments and aversions—icchā-dveṣa-samutthena. Sarga refers to creation, the beginning or birth—sarge yānti paran-tapa. When we take birth, we carry forward the attachments and aversions from our previous life, and these shape our conduct, behavior, and character in this life—they influence who we become.

Just as when we work on a computer—creating an email ID, browsing the internet, saving bookmarks, and building a search history—these preferences remain linked to our account. When we log in from another computer, all those bookmarks and settings automatically transfer because they are attached to the email ID, not to the device. In the same way, when the soul goes from one body to another, its preferences—its attachments and aversions—transfer with it. Whatever impressions the soul has accumulated continue into the next life, and in this way the soul takes birth with a particular set of tendencies.

Kṛṣṇa has already spoken about icchā–dveṣa, or rāga–dveṣa, earlier in the third chapter (3.33–35). In verse 3.34, He states: indriyasyendriyasyārthe rāga-dveṣau vyavasthitau tayor na vaśam āgacchet tau hy asya paripanthinau—between the senses and its sense object, attraction and aversion naturally arise. The senses are drawn to certain things and repelled by others. One should not come under the control of these impulses, because they act as obstacles on our spiritual path. We need to break free from them and rise above their influence.

Here, Kṛṣṇa states that these attachments and aversions are present within us from birth itself. Later, in the sixteenth chapter, when He describes the divine and demoniac natures, He uses a similar idea while listing the various qualities: abhijāto ’si pāṇḍava (Bg 16.5). Abhijātaḥ means “born with these qualities.” Some people are born with a divine nature, and some with a demoniac nature.

However, one of the most hope-giving and defining teachings of the Gītā is that our destiny is not a slave of our biology. Even if our biological tendencies push us toward certain kinds of actions, we are not helpless. Our nature may influence us, but it does not imprison us.

Biology includes not only our physical drives for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. All animals are impelled by these instincts, and we human beings also feel them. We cannot completely reject or deny these drives, but we do possess the higher intelligence and willpower to resist their unhealthy expressions and to regulate them so that our energies are channelled wisely. Yes, we all need to eat, but we can regulate our intake by choosing food that is sanctified—food offered to Kṛṣṇa. We can choose what is favorable for elevating our consciousness, and in this way, we gradually move out of the illusion in which we are presently situated.

Kṛṣṇa will elaborate more on the theme of coming out of illusion in the next verse. Here, however, the point is that we are born with a particular set of attachments and aversions. At a very broad level, we can observe that human beings naturally feel an aversion to excreta, whereas hogs feel an attraction to it. How does such a difference arise? This is the meaning of sarge yānti paran-tapa—we are born with these tendencies, and that is simply what we receive.

Moreover, from the above example, we can see that attachment and aversion are not inherently bad. In fact, many of our aversions are biologically arranged to protect us; we instinctively avoid things that are harmful. But our biological drives do not always accurately discern what is spiritually beneficial. Therefore, we need to use our intelligence, guided by scripture, to understand what is truly right and wrong. When we do so, we can act properly and gradually rise above illusion.

With attachment and aversion (icchā-dveṣa-samutthena), dvandva-mohena, the delusion of duality, arises. Dvandva-moha means thinking: “I like this, I don’t like this; this is good, this is bad.” These are dualities. For the soul—who is transcendental—nothing material is truly good, because everything material is foreign to the soul’s spiritual nature. Yet, from another perspective, since matter is also Kṛṣṇa’s energy, we can see material things in terms of their potential to be engaged in His service.

Instead of viewing things as sources of our personal pleasure or misery, we shift from a self-centered vision of duality to a Kṛṣṇa-centered vision of service—seeing how we can serve Him and how the resources available to us can also be engaged in His service. In this way, we gradually move forward on our spiritual journey.

In conclusion, Kṛṣṇa affirms that all living beings are born into illusion. That Arjuna should fight and conquer this illusion is hinted at through Kṛṣṇa’s use of the honorific paran-tapa—“one who chastises the enemy.” By thus addressing Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa hints at what Arjuna must do: just as he subdues external foes, he must also subdue the internal enemies of rāga and dveṣa, the dualities of dvandva-moha. By conquering these inner obstacles and remaining steady in his duty, Arjuna can attain perfection. This theme of attaining perfection through diligent execution of one’s dharma will be further developed in the next verse.

Thank you.