क्लेश
Kleśa
KLEH-shah (rhymes with 'mesh-a', with a soft 'sh')
Level 3Etymology
Root: From Sanskrit root √kliś (क्लिश्) meaning 'to torment, to cause pain, to afflict,' with the suffix -a forming an action noun. Related to the verbal form kliśyate ('one is afflicted').
Literal meaning: That which causes torment, affliction, or pain; a source of suffering and mental disturbance.
Definition
Kleshas are the deep-seated mental afflictions that cause suffering in daily life. Patañjali identifies five: ignorance (avidyā), egoism (asmitā), attachment (rāga), aversion (dveṣa), and clinging to life (abhiniveśa). They operate as recurring patterns of thought and emotion that distort perception and drive reactive behavior.
The kleshas are the root obstructions on the spiritual path, binding the jīva (individual soul) to saṃsāra through cycles of karma. Avidyā is considered the foundational klesha from which the other four arise, as misidentification of the Self with the non-Self generates ego, craving, repulsion, and existential fear. Spiritual practice (sādhanā) aims at attenuating and ultimately uprooting these afflictions.
From the absolute perspective, the kleshas have no independent existence; they are superimpositions upon pure awareness (puruṣa or ātman) caused by beginningless ignorance. When viveka-khyāti (discriminative knowledge) dawns, the kleshas are recognized as movements within prakṛti that never truly touch the Self. Their cessation (kleśa-nivṛtti) reveals the ever-free, ever-pure nature of consciousness.
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Common Misconception
A common misconception is that kleshas are emotions to be suppressed or destroyed through force of will. In reality, Patañjali teaches that kleshas exist in varying degrees—dormant (prasupta), attenuated (tanu), alternating (vicchinna), and fully active (udāra)—and the yogic approach is to progressively thin them through sustained practice (abhyāsa) and discernment (viveka), not through violent repression, which only drives them deeper.
Modern Application
The klesha framework offers a remarkably precise map for understanding modern psychological suffering. Avidyā manifests as unconscious cognitive biases and self-deception. Asmitā appears as identity fixation amplified by social media. Rāga drives consumer addiction and compulsive attachment to outcomes. Dveṣa fuels reactivity, cancel culture, and avoidance behaviors. Abhiniveśa underlies existential anxiety and risk-averse paralysis. Modern therapeutic approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy parallel the yogic method of observing these patterns with detachment, gradually weakening their grip through awareness rather than forceful suppression.
Quick Quiz
According to Patañjali's Yoga Sūtras, which klesha is considered the root cause from which all other kleshas arise?