Patanjali's five kleshas—ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion, and fear of death—are core patterns that activate and motivate protective parts to manage internal conflict and external threat.
The kleshas are the five fundamental afflictions or sources of suffering that Patanjali identifies as root causes of human distress: avidya (ignorance), asmita (egoism), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death). Each klesha corresponds to protective part strategies in Internal Family Systems. Avidya manifests when parts operate from incomplete or distorted information about the system's true capacity. Asmita drives parts to rigidly defend constructed identities. Raga and dvesha fuel the polarization between parts competing for control. Abhinivesha underlies all fear-based protective mechanisms. By identifying which kleshas are active in our inner system, we can trace them back to the parts holding them and understand their protective intentions more deeply. This ancient psychology reveals that our inner conflicts aren't pathological but understandable responses to fundamental human challenges, allowing us to approach all parts with greater wisdom and compassion.
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