Kleshas: The Five Afflictions Underlying Anxiety

Patanjali identifies five kleshas (afflictions or obstacles) that cloud consciousness and generate all suffering, including anxiety. These are: avidya (ignorance), asmita (egoism), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death or annihilation). Anxiety emerges from these foundational misperceptions. Ignorance about your true nature creates identification with a vulnerable ego that must constantly defend itself. Attachment to outcomes and aversion to discomfort generate the anxious striving that blocks peace. Abhinivesha—the primal fear of non-existence or loss of control—underlies many anxiety disorders. Understanding the kleshas moves anxiety treatment from symptom suppression into root-cause work. Rather than merely managing worry, this framework asks: what false beliefs about reality am I clinging to? What am I defending? What am I refusing to accept? By clearly seeing these underlying patterns, you can address anxiety at its source. Patanjali's teaching is optimistic: the kleshas are not inherent to consciousness; they're obscurations that can be dissolved through clear seeing and sustained practice, gradually liberating you from anxiety's grip.