Gita 7.27
Jnana Vijnana Yoga
इच्छाद्वेषसमुत्थेन द्वन्द्वमोहेन भारत । सर्वभूतानि संमोहं सर्गे यान्ति परन्तप ॥
icchā-dveṣa-samutthena dvandva-mohena bhārata | sarva-bhūtāni saṁmohaṁ sarge yānti parantapa ||
In essence: From the moment of birth, all beings fall into delusion through the pairs of opposites—desire and aversion—which create the entire structure of human suffering.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "If everyone is born into delusion, doesn't that make awakening almost impossible?"
Guru: "Born into delusion, yes. Born to remain there, no. A fish is born into water but can leap above the surface."
Sadhak: "But the pull of desire and aversion feels so natural, so constant. How can anyone overcome what's there from birth?"
Guru: "You don't overcome it by fighting. You see through it. What is desire at its root?"
Sadhak: "Wanting something I don't have."
Guru: "And beneath that?"
Sadhak: "A feeling of incompleteness, I suppose. A sense that I need something to be whole."
Guru: "Exactly. Desire assumes you're incomplete. Aversion assumes something threatens your completeness. Both rest on the same false premise—that you're a fragment needing to be completed or protected."
Sadhak: "But I do feel incomplete!"
Guru: "The feeling is real; its interpretation is delusion. What if you're actually whole, and the feeling of incompleteness is just the residue of forgetting?"
Sadhak: "Then desire and aversion would lose their urgency."
Guru: "They would. You might still prefer some things to others—preference isn't the problem. But the desperate clinging, the fear-driven avoiding—that would dissolve."
Sadhak: "Is it possible to live without any desire or aversion?"
Guru: "The goal isn't their absence but your freedom from their tyranny. The sage has preferences; they just don't have preferences about their preferences. They act according to what arises without being enslaved by it."
Sadhak: "That sounds like a subtle distinction."
Guru: "It is. The difference between bondage and freedom is subtle—not in the external behavior, often, but in the internal relationship to that behavior. The free being moves through desires and aversions like a bird through sky—touching nothing, bound by nothing."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Begin with 'Dvandva Recognition' meditation. Sit quietly and notice any wanting arising—for the day to go well, for certain outcomes, for comfort. Don't suppress; just notice: 'This is iccha.' Then notice any not-wanting—resistance to discomfort, to challenge, to uncertainty. 'This is dvesha.' See how these two create your mental weather. Then ask: 'Who is aware of both desire and aversion?' Rest attention there—in the awareness that witnesses the opposites without being either one.
Throughout the day, catch yourself in the grip of dvandva-moha. Notice when you're chasing (desire) or fleeing (aversion). The sign is internal contraction, urgency, reactivity. When caught, pause and label: 'Desire is present' or 'Aversion is present.' This simple naming creates space between you and the movement. You're no longer the desire; you're the one who sees the desire. This small gap is the beginning of freedom.
Reflect on today's desires and aversions. List the main ones—what you wanted, what you resisted. Then examine: 'Did fulfilling desires bring lasting satisfaction? Did avoiding aversions bring lasting peace?' Usually both are temporary. The chase continues tomorrow. Ask: 'What if I responded to tomorrow's dvandva from wholeness rather than lack? What would that look like?' Visualize moving through situations without the desperate clinging or fearful avoiding. This isn't indifference but the engaged freedom of one who knows they're already complete.