Raga and Dvesha: Craving and Aversion in Attachment

Patanjali identifies raga (attraction, clinging, craving) and dvesha (repulsion, aversion, rejection) as mirror-opposite distortions that obscure clear perception of reality. In attachment terms, these represent the two primary insecure strategies. Anxious attachment is fundamentally raga—craving connection, clinging to partners, obsessive focus on relationship security. Avoidant attachment is dvesha—pushing away intimacy, maintaining distance, rejecting vulnerability and dependence. Both represent perceptual distortions where reality becomes filtered through fear-based reactions. Patanjali suggests that raga and dvesha are ultimately based on misidentification of what brings genuine well-being. The anxiously attached person assumes connection through clinging will solve emptiness; the avoidantly attached assumes distance prevents pain. Both are incorrect perceptions. Secure attachment, in Patanjali's framework, represents balanced perception—neither grasping desperately at connection (raga) nor reflexively rejecting it (dvesha). This parallels attachment research showing securely attached individuals maintain flexible responses to others rather than rigid approach or avoidance patterns. Recognition of raga and dvesha in your attachment tendencies becomes the foundation for moving beyond them toward authentic relating.