Topic

Aversion

3 verses from the Bhagavad Gita on aversion. Explore teachings across 3 chapters.

All Verses

Chapter 3 • Verse 34 →The Yoga of Action
Indriyasyendriyasyarthe raga-dveshau vyavasthitau, tayor na vasham agacchet tau hy asya paripanthinau

In the sense objects there dwell attraction and aversion. One should not come under the control of these two, for they are obstacles on the path. Recognizing the pull of likes and dislikes is the first step to freedom.

  • •Attraction and aversion are the twin obstacles to liberation
  • •Awareness of these forces is the beginning of mastery
  • •Do not let desire and hatred dictate your choices
ragadveshaattachmentfreedom
Chapter 7 • Verse 27 →The Yoga of Knowledge and Wisdom
Iccha-dveshha-samutthena dvandva-mohena bharata, sarva-bhutani sammoham sarge yanti parantapa

O scion of Bharata, O conqueror of enemies, all beings fall into delusion at birth due to the illusion of duality arising from desire and aversion. From the very moment of birth, beings are conditioned by the pairs of opposites — attraction and repulsion — which create the fundamental delusion of separateness.

  • •Desire and aversion are the root causes of spiritual delusion
  • •Duality consciousness creates the illusion of separateness from God
  • •Liberation begins with transcending the pairs of opposites
delusiondualitydesirepairs of opposites
Chapter 13 • Verse 6 →The Yoga of the Field and the Knower of the Field
Icchha dveshah sukham duhkham sanghatash chetana dhritih, etat kshetram samasena sa-vikaram udahritam

Desire, hatred, happiness, distress, the aggregate of the senses, intelligence, and will — these together constitute the field and its modifications. All psychological and emotional phenomena belong to the field, not the true self.

  • •Emotions and desires are part of the material field
  • •Consciousness animating the field is different from the field itself
  • •The self is not identified with mental and emotional states
desireemotionsfieldmodifications