Klesha Patterns: Core Attachments and Aversions

Patanjali identifies five kleshas—afflictions or obscurations—that distort perception and create suffering: avidya (ignorance), asmita (false ego), raga (craving), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death/loss). These are not personal failings but universal patterns distorting how we relate. In attachment terms, avidya blinds us to our partner's true nature and our own; raga manifests as anxious, desperate attachment; dvesha as avoidant distancing; abhinivesha as terror of abandonment. Understanding these kleshas as impersonal patterns rather than personality flaws creates compassion. An anxious partner isn't defective—they're caught in raga (craving reassurance) and abhinivesha (fear of loss). An avoidant partner struggles with dvesha (aversion to merger). The Yoga Sutras teach that liberation comes through witnessing these patterns without identification, watching the klesha arise and subside rather than being possessed by them, a revolutionary approach to adult relationship healing.