A core teaching · reflective in mood · a little context helps
“Desire and aversion turn clear seeing into confusion.”
O descendant of Bharata, all beings fall into delusion at birth, from the confusion born of desire and aversion, O scorcher of foes.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallydesire and aversion · arising from · by the delusion of opposites · O Bharata · all beings · delusion · go to · O scorcher of foes
Desire and aversion create confusion in living beings, and that confusion keeps them trapped in repeated cycles of ignorance and rebirth.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Jnana Vijnana Yoga" (Knowledge and Wisdom).
Verse 27 sits in Chapter 7 of the Bhagavad Gita — Jnana Vijnana Yoga, "Knowledge and Wisdom". The chapter has 30 verses in total.
You know the moment you want one thing badly and hate the other option so much that you cannot think clearly. That tug-of-war is the very fog Krishna names.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts the mind from blaming itself to noticing the forces of attraction and rejection that distort judgment.
What this verse means
Desire and aversion create confusion in living beings, and that confusion keeps them trapped in repeated cycles of ignorance and rebirth.
Context & commentary
Krishna is still answering Arjuna on the battlefield, where everything feels split between duty and fear. He explains that ordinary beings are pushed into confusion by attraction and aversion, and that confusion keeps them caught in repeated birth and death.
Why this verse still matters
You know the moment you want one thing badly and hate the other option so much that you cannot think clearly. That tug-of-war is the very fog Krishna names.
“It is relieving to see that confusion has a cause, not just a character flaw.”