The Yoga of Knowledge and Wisdom

Krishna describes the root cause of delusion: duality. 'Icchā-dveṣa-samutthena dvandva-mohena'—with the rise of desire and aversion, born from the delusion of duality. 'Sarva-bhūtāni sammohaṁ sarge yānti'—all beings become bewildered at the time of creation. This verse shows that delusion comes from duality—the pairs of opposites (pleasure/pain, gain/loss, success/failure) create desire and aversion, which lead to delusion. At the time of creation (birth), all beings enter this delusion. This connects to verse 7.13's teaching about delusion and verse 7.26's teaching about beings, showing why most people are deluded.