KLESHAS ARE THE HINDRANCE
YOGA SUTRA CHAPTER II
Sadhana Pada is the title of the chapter. Sadhana means techniques. Under these techniques comes practically all that we do, but there are details mentioned in over 50 Sutras. We can’t go through all of them just now, but I will just touch upon them and give a little explanation.
We start with the three important techniques of Tapa, Swadhyaya and Ishvarapranidhan for removing the Kleshas. The Kleshas, as you know, are five in number: Avidya, Asmita, Raga, Dvesha and Abhinivesha. So, the target is - remove the Kleshas and then Samadhi is possible. The Kleshas are the hindrances.
We talk of this technical idea of the seer and the seen, Drg and Drshya. When there is a confusion here, the problem starts. So long as the seer is clear, the seen does not disturb us. If the seer gets confused, then the entanglement happens. So, for this purpose, the culprits – the Kleshas have to be reduced in strength. We have to get clarity and get away from the influence, of ignorance. Believing that the material world is real and not understanding the non-material world is ignorance.
The Kleshas are considered the central problem. They are strong, and as a result, they cause problems. If that strength is reduced, the problems go away. If we are not ignorant, if we are very clear about the value of consciousness and the value of material objects, then there is no problem. But we are in a confused state. We believe in material things, we want them, and so the whole drama starts. We do get some happiness and then some unhappiness too. That is one way the Kleshas move. Actually, for the understanding person, everything is unhappiness; temporarily they may feel some happiness, but that is a different state. We do a few things and get attracted, and want and enjoy and then later on, feel sad.
So, what has to be avoided? Heya is the word; it is not the immediate - the immediate can be pleasant - but what happens later on is the real culprit, and we don’t see that far. Immediately, liquor is tasty, we enjoy it, and we don’t mind what it does to us later on. If we had never come close to this undesirable thing, there would have been no problem. People who can keep away all these things, don’t suffer. But getting attracted, wanting, and enjoying does happen to us. The entire external world is as if for enjoyment. It calls out to us to enjoy this, enjoy that. But it doesn’t tell us the other part - the pain that happens later. This is where the Gunas come in. They are continuously shifting, changing, creating new objects, and they attract. There is no moment when the world is steady.
The thing that we see, Dṛshya, is always changing. What is to be seen by the seer is not clearly understood. The reality behind the apparent change, the purpose behind the change is not understood. Once this critical understanding occurs, then whatever is in the external world doesn’t have any effect. Pure consciousness is the seer Drashtā/Drg. When we reach that stage of consciousness, we can see through the whole game. The world exists; it is for me to decide whether I want to see it or not. But I do want to see and so the problems happen. The Yogi may be confronted with the most attractive thing and yet, he remains least disturbed.
There was a young boy, Suka, who was quite clear. His father was a great saint. One day the boy got a feeling that I must find out what is there beyond this world, what is the spiritual life? He set off from home and walked. The father was a little apprehensive, so he followed him at a distance. The boy walked through a place where young girls were bathing. He didn’t even care to look at them, neither were they frightened by him. He reached the court of king Janaka and asked for a talk. Janaka said, “First, you go around my harem where all the beautiful women are.” He went through the harem, and was not affected. Janaka realized that he was a sincere individual, and they had a discussion.
These are instances of people who have matured, have gained understanding, and the external material world has no meaning for them. It is this conjunction/union, Samyog, between material and the spiritual that is the question. If the spiritual can just observe, there is no problem. It is just like you walking through the marketplace and not wanting to buy anything, you can just enjoy the seeing. But no sooner do you get attracted, then the problem begins.
So, the term that we have to remember is called Viveka Khyati, the discriminative understanding. That is what we should gain; otherwise, the external material world will immediately catch us and we will lose the understanding.
So then come the discussions about the Yogic techniques, the 8-fold-path, and then each step is taken up, right from the Yamas, Niyamas, and that’s how the second chapter ends. Discussing about various techniques that can help in coming out of this tangle, techniques that are very powerful, all-pervasive, but they have to be followed. When one practices Satya or truthfulness; it does not mean that I will be truthful in some situations, and in some I won’t. It’s absolute. The other virtues work in the same way, but we can’t do that. So, while we are reading about this, we understand a little, but we can’t practice. That is our big problem.