Kleshas: The Five Political Afflictions

Patanjali's framework of the five kleshas—ignorance (avidya), ego-sense (asmita), attachment (raga), aversion (dvesha), and fear of death (abhinivesha)—maps precisely onto political psychology's understanding of dysfunction. Avidya appears as collective ignorance about how systems actually work, replaced by ideological mythology. Asmita drives power-seeking and leader personality cults. Raga manifests as attachment to particular political identities and outcomes regardless of evidence. Dvesha creates enemy-making and demonization of opposition. Abhinivesha appears as existential political anxiety and zero-sum thinking. Understanding these afflictions as psychological patterns rather than moral failings enables transformative intervention. Political education grounded in klesh-awareness trains citizens to recognize these patterns operating in themselves and institutions. Rather than condemning political opponents as evil, recognizing their operation through kleshas invites compassion and targeted intervention. This framework transforms political psychology from blame-focused to pattern-recognition focused, enabling more sophisticated understanding of how to address deep political dysfunction.