The Kleshas

The Roots of Suffering

The kleshas are the five afflictions that bind consciousness to suffering. They are not merely problems to be solved but deep structures of ignorance that must be understood and transcended. All human suffering, according to Yoga, can be traced to these five roots.

“avidya asmita raga dvesha abhiniveshah kleshah” (II.3) “The afflictions are ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion, and clinging to life.”

The Five Afflictions

1. Avidya - Ignorance

The root from which all others grow

Avidya is not mere lack of information but a fundamental misperception of reality. It is seeing the impermanent as permanent, the impure as pure, suffering as pleasure, and the not-self as self.

“anitya ashuchi duhkha anatmasu nitya shuchi sukha atma khyatih avidya” (II.5) “Ignorance is taking the impermanent, impure, painful, and not-self to be permanent, pure, pleasurable, and self.”

Avidya operates constantly:

This root ignorance is the soil in which the other kleshas grow. Without avidya, the other four could not exist.

Working with Avidya:

2. Asmita - Ego/I-sense

The confusion of seer with seen

Asmita is the identification of pure consciousness (the seer) with the instruments of perception (the seen). We take ourselves to be the body, mind, personality, and roles rather than the awareness that knows these.

“drg darshana shaktyor ekatmata iva asmita” (II.6) “Ego is the apparent identification of the power of seeing with the power of the seer.”

Asmita manifests as:

The tragedy is that we miss what we actually are (unlimited awareness) by identifying with its limited objects.

Working with Asmita:

3. Raga - Attachment

The gravitational pull toward pleasure

Raga is the attraction to pleasant experiences and the desire for their repetition. Having experienced pleasure, the mind craves more. This craving binds.

“sukha anushayi ragah” (II.7) “Attachment is that which follows from pleasure.”

Raga operates through:

The problem is not pleasure itself but the binding quality of attachment. We become slaves to our cravings, compelled to seek what the mind remembers as pleasant.

Working with Raga:

4. Dvesha - Aversion

The repulsion from pain

Dvesha is the opposite of raga - the pushing away of unpleasant experiences and the desire to avoid their repetition. Having experienced suffering, the mind flees.

“duhkha anushayi dveshah” (II.8) “Aversion is that which follows from pain.”

Dvesha operates through:

Like raga, dvesha binds. We are as imprisoned by what we avoid as by what we seek. Fear and aversion shape our lives as much as desire.

Working with Dvesha:

5. Abhinivesha - Clinging to Life

The fear of death

Abhinivesha is the instinctive clinging to existence and fear of annihilation. It operates in all beings, even the wise.

“svarasavahi vidusho ‘pi tatha rudho ‘bhiniveshah” (II.9) “Clinging to life, flowing along by its own momentum, is rooted even in the wise.”

This deepest klesha manifests as:

Abhinivesha may be the residue of past deaths - the memory of dying carried forward. It is the most difficult klesha to address because it operates so deeply.

Working with Abhinivesha:

The Structure of Bondage

The kleshas form a cascade:

Avidya (root ignorance)
    ↓
Asmita (false identification)
    ↓         ↓
Raga    ↔    Dvesha
(attraction) (repulsion)
    ↓         ↓
  Abhinivesha
  (clinging to life)

From ignorance comes false identity. From false identity come the polarities of attraction and aversion. Underlying all is the fear of the death of that which we mistakenly believe ourselves to be.

States of the Kleshas

Patanjali describes different states in which kleshas exist:

Prasupta - Dormant

The klesha exists as a seed but is not currently active. Like a seed, it contains the potential for future affliction.

Tanu - Attenuated

The klesha is weakened but not eliminated. Through practice, its grip loosens, but traces remain.

Vichchhinna - Interrupted

The klesha is temporarily overcome by its opposite. When attention shifts, it may return.

Udara - Fully Active

The klesha operates with full force, generating suffering and karma.

Practice moves kleshas from active to interrupted to attenuated to dormant - and eventually, through discriminative wisdom, to complete dissolution.

Addressing the Kleshas

Kriya Yoga

Patanjali prescribes kriya yoga as the initial approach:

“tapah svadhyaya ishvara pranidhanani kriya yogah” (II.1) “Kriya yoga consists of austerity, self-study, and surrender to Ishvara.”

“samadhi bhavana arthah klesha tanu karana arthash cha” (II.2) “Its purpose is to cultivate samadhi and weaken the kleshas.”

Dhyana - Meditation

“dhyana heyah tad vrittayah” (II.11) “Their modifications are to be eliminated by meditation.”

When kleshas manifest as mental modifications (vrittis), meditation dissolves them. The sustained attention of dhyana breaks the identification with afflicted thought patterns.

Pratipaksha Bhavana

“vitarka badhane pratipaksha bhavanam” (II.33) “When disturbed by negative thoughts, cultivate the opposite.”

This practical technique applies counter-forces:

Viveka Khyati - Discriminative Wisdom

The ultimate remedy is viveka khyati - the unbroken awareness of the distinction between Purusha (pure consciousness) and Prakriti (all that is observed).

When this discrimination becomes constant, ignorance is eliminated at its root. Without avidya, the other kleshas cannot stand.

Living with the Kleshas

Complete freedom from kleshas is the fruit of long practice. Meanwhile:

The kleshas are not enemies to be conquered with violence but misunderstandings to be illuminated with wisdom. As understanding deepens, their grip naturally loosens.

“heyam duhkham anagatam” (II.16) “The suffering that is yet to come is to be avoided.”

This is the promise of yoga: through understanding and practice, future suffering can be prevented. The kleshas need not continue to generate pain.

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