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Summary

Yoga Sutras
Sutra 2:3 | 10 | 11

avidyāsmitā-rāga-dveṣābhiniveśāḥ kleśāḥ | te pratiprasava-heyāḥ sūkṣmāḥ | dhyāna-heyās tad-vr̥ttayaḥ

Ignorance, egoism, attachment, hatred, and clinging to bodily life are the five obstacles. | In their subtle form, these causes of suffering are subdued by seeing where they come from. | In the active state, they can be destroyed by meditation.

Translated - B.K.S Iyengar & Chip Hartfranft

Sutra 3 presents the five kleśas or afflictions. These are considered the root cause of suffering and the obstacles that hinder spiritual evolution. Avidyā (Ignorance) Asmitā (Egoism) Rāga (Attachment) Dveṣa (Aversion) Abhiniveśā (Clinging to Bodily Life) Sutra 10 By developing self-awareness and discernment, the practitioner recognises the roots of these afflictions and weakens their hold on the mind. Sutra 11 explains that in the active state, the kleśas can be eradicated through the practice of meditation (dhyāna). By immersing the mind in deep concentration and contemplation, the practitioner transcends the fluctuations of the mind and experiences a state of clarity and detachment. In this meditative absorption, the kleśas lose their power, and the practitioner moves closer to the state of samādhi. Together, these sutras emphasise the significance of yoga as a transformative path to reduce afflictions, liberate the mind from suffering, and attain the state of samādhi, where the practitioner experiences unity with the true self (Purusha) and transcends the limitations of the material world.
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