Chapter 7 Gnana – Vignana Yoga Verse 20

Icchaadweshasamutthena dwandwamohena bhaarata;
Sarvabhootaani sammoham sarge yaanti parantapa.

By the delusion of the pairs of opposites arising from desire and aversion, O Bharata,
all beings are subject to delusion at birth, O Parantapa!

In this sloka Lord Krishna after talking about Himself, talks about the secret of the beings that He has created. He says there are two types of delusions that all living beings are subjected to. The word delusion here means misapprehension or a false impression. The first delusion comes with false impression that the pairs of desire and aversion create in human beings. This delusion will affect almost all the subjects or humans. Because of that delusion humans take another birth and they are also subjected to delusions there.

Here we need to understand the effect of pairs of opposites and how that leads to false impressions at birth. The explanation is very simple and we have studied them in the previous slokas also. But here we are connecting them together and explaining one phenomenon. As we know delusion is a false impression. This false impression is created from two extreme emotions in Human beings called desires and aversion. This in simple terms means,  if you see people or things or habits through the eyes of your likes and dislikes you are in a state of delusion.

Suppose a human being says that I like sports so I will be a sportsman and I dont want to study. You will think that it is quite normal. It is quite normal because 99.9% of beings on this planet think that way. You can like sports but can you dislike education? The answer we got from previous slokas is No. So, whenever a person has strong likes and dislikes that person is subjected to delusion. This also extends to people. Suppose if a person says, I dont like my boss, but the work I do is good. Since I dont like my boss, I will quit my job. If he thinks like that he is subjected to same delusion again.

Whenever a person is subjected to delusion, he is stopped from attaining moksha. Salvation cannot be achieved in the state of like and dislike. It can only be achieved in the state of neutrality. So, every person who has this likes and dislikes will be subjected to another birth and in that birth he continues with those delusions. The only way to get rid of them is to get over them in one particular birth. Once you do that, the path of salvation begins and quickens in speed. If you postpone it to the next birth, the cycle of births and death will continue and with it continues pairs of extreme desires and delusion!!