The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Chapter 2 - Sadhana Pada
What we have studied so far:
II.1 The chapter begins with and introduction of kriya yoga
II.2 Its effects
II.3 - 11 And a discussion of the kleshas, which it removes
This week we will discuss the kleshas or afflictions which disturb the equilibrium of consciousness. There are five of them:
Avidya - ignorance or lack of wisdom
Asmita - ego, pride of the ego or the sense of ‘I’
Raga - attachment to pleasure
Dvesha - aversion to pain
Abhinivesah - fear of death and clinging to life
II.3 Avidyā asmitā rāga dveṣa abhiniveśaḥ kleśāḥ
The five afflictions which disturb the equilibrium of consciousness are: ignorance or lack of wisdom, ego, pride of the ego or the sense of ‘I’, attachment to pleasure, aversion to pain, fear of death and clinging to life.
II.4 Avidyā kṣetram uttareśāṁ prasupta tanu vicchinna udārāṇām
Lack of true knowledge is the source of all pains and sorrows whether dormant, attenuated, interrupted or fully active.
II.5 Anitya aśuci duḥkha anātmasu nitya śuci sukha ātma khyātiḥ avidyā
Mistaking the transient for the permanent, the impure for the pure, pain for pleasure, and that which is not the self for the self: all this is called lack of spiritual knowledge, avidyā.
II.6 Dṛk darśanaśaktyoḥ ekātmatā iva asmitā
Egoism is the identification of the seer with the instrumental power of seeing.
II.7 Sukha anuśayi rāgaḥ
Pleasure leads to desire and emotional attachment.
II.8 Duḥkha anuśayī dveṣaḥ
Unhappiness leads to hatred.
II.9 Svarasavāhī viduṣaḥ api tatha ārūḍhaḥ abhiniveśaḥ
Self-preservation or attachment to life is the subtlest of all afflictions. It is found even in wise men.
II.10 Te pratiprasavaheyāḥ sūkṣmāḥ
Subtle afflictions are to be minimized and eradicated by a process of involution.
II.11 Dhyānaheyāḥ tadvṝttayaḥ
The fluctuations of consciousness created by gross and subtle afflictions are to be silenced through meditation.
These kleshas are said to reside in the abdomen and they cause the vrttis (fluctuations) in the mind. The first klesha: avidya, or ignorance is the cause of the others. The kleshas could also be in a dormant state, fully active, intermittent - appearing then fading away or they can become weak. The kleshas can be eradicated through a process involution which includes kriya yoga and meditation.