Klesha
Sanskrit: क्लेशTransliteration: Kleśa (IAST)
Translation: “affliction”
A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Translation: "affliction; passion; suffering; pain; defiling element (from the verb root kliś – “to suffer, torment or distress”)"
Definition:
The Science of Yoga (I.K. Taimni)
Translation: "misery; cause of misery; pains; afflictions; miseries; causes of pain"
Commentary: "It means pain, affliction or misery but gradually it came to acquire the meaning of what causes pain, affliction, or misery. The philosophy of Kleśa is thus an analysis of the underlying and fundamental cause of human misery and suffering and the way in which this cause can be removed effectively." (p. 124-125)
"Avidyā is the root-cause of the other four Kleśa which, in their turn, produce all the miseries of human life. A closer study of the nature of the other four Kleśa will show not only that they can grow only on the soil of Avidyā but also that the five Kleśa form a connected series of causes and effects. The relation existing between the five Kleśa may be likened to the relation of root, trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit in a tree.
The classification of the states or conditions in which these Kleśa may exist… are defined as (1) Dormant – Prasupta, (2) Attenuated – Tanu, (3) Alternating – Vicchinna, (4) Expanded – Udārāṇām. The dormant condition is that in which the Klesa is present but in a latent form. It cannot find expression for lack of proper conditions for its expression and its kinetic energy has become potential. The attenuated condition is that in which the Kleśa is present in a very feeble or tenuous condition. It is not active but can become active in a mild degree on a stimulus being applied. In the fully expanded condition the Kleśa is fully operative and its activity is all too apparent like the waves on the surface of the sea in a storm. The alternating condition is that in which two opposite tendencies overpower each other alternately as in the case of two lovers who sometimes become angry and affectionate alternately. The feelings of attraction and repulsion alternate, though fundamentally they are based on attachment.
It is only in the case of the advanced Yogis that the Kleśa are present in the dormant form. In the case of ordinary people, the Kleśa are present in the other three conditions, depending upon external circumstances." (p. 128-129)
"Through the practice of Kriyā-Yoga, they can be attenuated progressively until they become quite dormant, incapable of being aroused by ordinary stimuli from the external world. But given extraordinary conditions they can be made active again. So we have to deal with two problems in the complete elimination of the Kleśa, first to reduce them to the inactive or Sūkṣma state and then to destroy even their potential power. The first is referred to generally as reducing the Kleśa to the form of ‘seeds’ which under favorable conditions have still the power to grow into a tree, and the second as ‘scorching the seeds’ so that while they may retain the outer form of the ‘seeds’ they have really become incapable of germinating and growing into a tree.
The problem of reducing the Kleśa to the condition of ‘seeds’ is itself divisible under two sub-heads, that of reducing the fully active forms to the attenuated forms (Tanu) and then reducing the latter to the extremely inactive condition (Prasupta) from which they cannot be aroused easily. Since the first of these two problems is the more important and fundamental in its nature, Patañjali has dealt with it first in Part 2, Sutra 10. The second problem of reducing the active forms of the Kleśa to the partially latent condition, being comparatively easier, is dealt with in Part 2, Sutra 41, though in Sādhana it really precedes the first problem." (p. 140)
"The fact that the subtle forms of Kleśa remain in their ‘seed’ form even after they have been attenuated to the extreme limit is of great significance. It means that the Sādhaka is not free from danger until he has crossed the threshold of Kaivalya and reached the final goal. As long as these ‘seeds’ lurk within him there is no knowing when he may become their victim. It is these unscorched ‘seeds’ of Kleśa which account for the sudden and unexpected fall of Yogis after they have reached great heights of illumination and power. This shows the necessity of exercising the utmost discrimination right up to the very end of the Path." (p. 141)
"Another point which may be noted is that attacking one particular form or expression of a Kleśa is not of much avail, though in the beginning this may be done to gain some knowledge of the working of the Kleśa and the technique of mastering them. A Kleśa can assume innumerable forms of expression and if we merely suppress one of its expressions it will assume other forms. It is the general tendency which has to be tackled and it is this isolation, as it were, of this tendency and tackling it as a whole which tests the intelligence of the Sādhaka and determines the success of the endeavor." (p. 143)
"When the latent forms of Kleśa have been attenuated to the utmost limit and the resulting tendencies have been made extremely feeble—brought almost to the zero level—the question arises, ‘How to destroy the potentiality of these tendencies so that there may be no possibility of their revival under any circumstances?’ How to scorch the ‘seeds’ of Kleśa so that they cannot germinate again? This is a very important question for the advanced Yogi because his work has not been completed until this has been done. The answer to this question follows from the very nature of the Kleśa which has been discussed previously. If the Kleśa are rooted in Avidyā, they cannot be destroyed until Avidyā is destroyed. This means that no freedom from the subtlest forms of the Kleśa is possible until full Enlightenment of Kaivalya is attained through the practice of Dharma-Megha-Samādhi. This conclusion is confirmed by Part 4, Sutra 30 according to which freedom from Kleśa and Karma is obtained only after Dharma-Megha-Samādhi which precedes the attainment of Kaivalya." (p. 141-142)
References:
Translation: "affliction; passion; suffering; pain; defiling element (from the verb root kliś – “to suffer, torment or distress”)"
Definition:
- The afflictions of the body, mind, and speech.
- Afflictions are of five types: Ignorance (Avidyā), Egoism (Asmitā), attachment (Rāga), aversion (Dveṣa), and the will to live (Abhiniveśa).
The Science of Yoga (I.K. Taimni)
Translation: "misery; cause of misery; pains; afflictions; miseries; causes of pain"
Commentary: "It means pain, affliction or misery but gradually it came to acquire the meaning of what causes pain, affliction, or misery. The philosophy of Kleśa is thus an analysis of the underlying and fundamental cause of human misery and suffering and the way in which this cause can be removed effectively." (p. 124-125)
"Avidyā is the root-cause of the other four Kleśa which, in their turn, produce all the miseries of human life. A closer study of the nature of the other four Kleśa will show not only that they can grow only on the soil of Avidyā but also that the five Kleśa form a connected series of causes and effects. The relation existing between the five Kleśa may be likened to the relation of root, trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit in a tree.
The classification of the states or conditions in which these Kleśa may exist… are defined as (1) Dormant – Prasupta, (2) Attenuated – Tanu, (3) Alternating – Vicchinna, (4) Expanded – Udārāṇām. The dormant condition is that in which the Klesa is present but in a latent form. It cannot find expression for lack of proper conditions for its expression and its kinetic energy has become potential. The attenuated condition is that in which the Kleśa is present in a very feeble or tenuous condition. It is not active but can become active in a mild degree on a stimulus being applied. In the fully expanded condition the Kleśa is fully operative and its activity is all too apparent like the waves on the surface of the sea in a storm. The alternating condition is that in which two opposite tendencies overpower each other alternately as in the case of two lovers who sometimes become angry and affectionate alternately. The feelings of attraction and repulsion alternate, though fundamentally they are based on attachment.
It is only in the case of the advanced Yogis that the Kleśa are present in the dormant form. In the case of ordinary people, the Kleśa are present in the other three conditions, depending upon external circumstances." (p. 128-129)
"Through the practice of Kriyā-Yoga, they can be attenuated progressively until they become quite dormant, incapable of being aroused by ordinary stimuli from the external world. But given extraordinary conditions they can be made active again. So we have to deal with two problems in the complete elimination of the Kleśa, first to reduce them to the inactive or Sūkṣma state and then to destroy even their potential power. The first is referred to generally as reducing the Kleśa to the form of ‘seeds’ which under favorable conditions have still the power to grow into a tree, and the second as ‘scorching the seeds’ so that while they may retain the outer form of the ‘seeds’ they have really become incapable of germinating and growing into a tree.
The problem of reducing the Kleśa to the condition of ‘seeds’ is itself divisible under two sub-heads, that of reducing the fully active forms to the attenuated forms (Tanu) and then reducing the latter to the extremely inactive condition (Prasupta) from which they cannot be aroused easily. Since the first of these two problems is the more important and fundamental in its nature, Patañjali has dealt with it first in Part 2, Sutra 10. The second problem of reducing the active forms of the Kleśa to the partially latent condition, being comparatively easier, is dealt with in Part 2, Sutra 41, though in Sādhana it really precedes the first problem." (p. 140)
"The fact that the subtle forms of Kleśa remain in their ‘seed’ form even after they have been attenuated to the extreme limit is of great significance. It means that the Sādhaka is not free from danger until he has crossed the threshold of Kaivalya and reached the final goal. As long as these ‘seeds’ lurk within him there is no knowing when he may become their victim. It is these unscorched ‘seeds’ of Kleśa which account for the sudden and unexpected fall of Yogis after they have reached great heights of illumination and power. This shows the necessity of exercising the utmost discrimination right up to the very end of the Path." (p. 141)
"Another point which may be noted is that attacking one particular form or expression of a Kleśa is not of much avail, though in the beginning this may be done to gain some knowledge of the working of the Kleśa and the technique of mastering them. A Kleśa can assume innumerable forms of expression and if we merely suppress one of its expressions it will assume other forms. It is the general tendency which has to be tackled and it is this isolation, as it were, of this tendency and tackling it as a whole which tests the intelligence of the Sādhaka and determines the success of the endeavor." (p. 143)
"When the latent forms of Kleśa have been attenuated to the utmost limit and the resulting tendencies have been made extremely feeble—brought almost to the zero level—the question arises, ‘How to destroy the potentiality of these tendencies so that there may be no possibility of their revival under any circumstances?’ How to scorch the ‘seeds’ of Kleśa so that they cannot germinate again? This is a very important question for the advanced Yogi because his work has not been completed until this has been done. The answer to this question follows from the very nature of the Kleśa which has been discussed previously. If the Kleśa are rooted in Avidyā, they cannot be destroyed until Avidyā is destroyed. This means that no freedom from the subtlest forms of the Kleśa is possible until full Enlightenment of Kaivalya is attained through the practice of Dharma-Megha-Samādhi. This conclusion is confirmed by Part 4, Sutra 30 according to which freedom from Kleśa and Karma is obtained only after Dharma-Megha-Samādhi which precedes the attainment of Kaivalya." (p. 141-142)
References:
- Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
- Taimni, I. K. (1975). The Science of Yoga: The Yoga-Sūtras of Patañjali in Sanskrit with Transliteration in Roman, Translation in English and Commentary: Theosophical Publishing House. p. 124-125, 128-129, 140-143)
