Klesa: Root Cognitive Distortions and Mental Afflictions

The five kleshas—avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego), raga (craving), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death)—represent Patanjali's map of human suffering's root causes. These are not moral failings but cognitive misperceptions and distortions that generate unnecessary suffering. Avidya parallels CBT's identification of beliefs based on incomplete information; asmita mirrors cognitive fusion and identification with self-image; raga and dvesha describe approach and avoidance patterns underlying compulsions; abhinivesha encompasses existential anxiety and catastrophizing. Patanjali teaches that liberation requires seeing through these distortions, which perfectly mirrors CBT's therapeutic mechanism: identifying automatic thoughts rooted in these patterns, testing their validity against reality, and developing alternative perspectives. Remarkably, Patanjali identified that suffering arises not from external events but from our distorted interpretations—precisely CBT's central insight. By recognizing the kleshas operating in a client's presentation, therapists access a deeper explanatory framework explaining why specific cognitive distortions persist and how addressing them at the root level produces transformation.