Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Kleshas (Hinduism)

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Kleśa (sanskrit क्लेश, also klesha ) is a term from Indian philosophy and yoga, meaning a "poison". The third śloka of the second chapter of Patañjali's Yogasūtra explicitly identifies Five Poisons (Sanskrit: pañcakleśā):

अविद्यास्मितारागद्वेषाभिनिवेशाः पञ्च क्लेशाः॥३॥ Avidyāsmitārāgadveṣābhiniveśāḥ pañca kleśāḥ

Translated into English, these five (pañca) Kleśa-s or Afflictions (kleśāḥ) are:

  • Ignorance (in the form of a misapprehension about reality) (ávidyā),
  • egoism (in the form of an erroneous identification of the Self with the intellect) (asmitā),
  • attachment (rāga),
  • aversion (dveṣa), and
  • fear of death (which is derived from clinging ignorantly to life) (abhiniveśāḥ).

    • References

    Kleshas (Hinduism) Wikipedia
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