Kleshas (Hinduism)

Kleśa (sanskrit क्लेश, also klesha ) is a term from Indian philosophy and yoga, meaning a "poison". The third śloka 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).

See also

• Kleshas (Buddhism)
• Maya (illusion)

External links

International Nath Order (INO) perspectives:

• Five Kleshas - International Nath Order
• Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev. "Twilight Yoga II: The Magnum Opus of Twilight Yoga"