perceiving concept of Patanjali's KLESHAS with DUHKH OF Gautam Buddha

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                                                A Paper

 

                     Prepared by Shri Awadhoot R.Hardikar

 

  Sorrow and not the cheerfulness in life is said to be and taken for granted

as the inherent undercurrents of Ancient Indian Thought-Life.Spiritually

conscious people used to surrender to the forests in their old age.This was in

search of the permanent solace or releasement for attaining eternal containment

for which people appear to be preparing themselves from childhood.The

traditional

domestic training gives more importance in renunciating the desires of loved

ones.

This third stage of progressive spiritual life is therefore called Wanprastha

Aashram

For this stage, cultivation of habits in perceiving every object as essentially

meaningless

became important one.

 

     This type of a life long,deeply effective training of which orientation was

reflected in

many ritualistic preaching enabled people to become a super class rank,as it

were.This

attitude prepared them to make forest as their abode,making them away from

worldly

objects.All this was to make them away from worldly sorrows.

 

     The tradition, thus, culminated in Gautam Buddha's preaching of his famous

theory

sorrow- 'Sabbam Dukkhamayam'- All that is sorrowful.The guintessential meaning

of this

preaching was - " Life is full of sorrow and nothing but sorrow! "

 

     This must have gained expression to the mass thinking which was apperently

running

on similar experiences in their respective lives full of practicality.As our

relatitions with human being and associations with desired objects always cause

more sorrow than happiness and therefore to the common man this theory was

natural one and public - mind got attracted towards this theory. 

 

     Simultaneously, this issue must have been widely debated among thoughtful

small groups and gennuine great thinkers like Patanjali propounder of

Yogaviddya, had even composed his thoughts in a very systematic ideology.This

was inspite of the fact that many established intellecttuals being under

Buddhist' royal shelters continuously busy in providing theoratical basis for

Buddha's preaching.The reflections of such debates do occur prominently in

Patanjali's Yogasootras in the first and second chapter.His approach based on

traditional notions, keeping objectivity in mind,reflects logical principles.

 

     The 'Duhkha' is an emotional apprehension causing inconvenient or

unsuitable atmosphere and the Sukha is opposite to this one.The letter 'KHA'

which is common in both of the words denotes the meaning atmosphere.This

means,that a person perceives an object through his pre-conceived notions about

it and that cause sorrow or happiness the degree and level of which varies as

per individuals conditioning.

 

     This shows, that, our perception of sorrow and happiness is individualistic

i.e. subjective.The characterstics of subjective perception  inclusive of its

space and time there is another dimension; and that is factual ever-changing

mind condition of the perceiver and this fact increases magnitudenal effect of

the perception.

 

     Scholars of Buddhism are aware, that Buddhism was formed after two hundred

years of his pasing away.The group discussions started after this formation, and

among these groups the view point of Patanjali is proven to be effetive

one.Instead of following any emotionally convenient role,he followed,the

logically conclusive,based on objective line theory called KLESHAS.

 

     The term KLESHAS represent subtle meaning of such apprehension implying the

deep rooted, personal, possesing the potential of diminishing inner mind quality

and hence inexpressive meaning.It is five fold Awidyaa-i.e.Illusion; Asmita-

i.e. ego; Raaga -i.e.attraction; Dvesha - i.e. repulsion and lastly Abhinivesha

a persona's Clinging to variety of modifications at different times.All these

five KLESHAS are great afflictions or causes of miseries in life.

 

     Human life is greatly afflicted because of the unavoidable illusion.Misery

or suffering is the direct result of this is greatly afflicted because of the

unavoidable illusion. Misery or suffering is direct result of this

illusion.Illusion is an aprehension of an image or an object which is

misleading.

 

                  -Out of these five KLESHAS, Awidyya is of four types-

 

                  i)   apprehending non-eternal as eternal

                 ii)   apprehending impure as pure

                iii)   apprehending evil or cause of misery as good or cause of

happiness

                iv)   apprhending non-aatman as aatman

 

Awidyya is the very root of KLESHAS. Awidyya is not, thus, in the ordinary sense

of term.According to Yogic philosophy, Viddya or consciousness or the reality

underlying manifestation becomes involved with the matter.Both of these in

nature and different but are required to be brought together and in the process

awidyya or illusion is at the root,Asmitaa or ' I amness' which is the mother of

ego is also there because the reality is under the veil; due to which in

practicle life our consideration of self, in our imagination is constantly

changing as per our varrying condition of mind. Ego has, thus various degrees

and has, therefore scope in variety of actions.

 

Same is the condition about attraction or Raaga and repulsion or Dvesha of a

particular object/person at particular time.

 

The after thought about the things or objects for which attractions or

repulsions were there reveals, that,self was under veils of illusions in those

particular times.

 

Several times in day to-to day life. man enters in to different moods because of

his changing thoughts about various mental images which go on misleading him and

his miseries are increased. He, however, after some time, in relaxed mood,

realizes that he was under spell of illusion.

 

This is, in short, the nature of all five KLESHAS. KLESHA is not the sorrow

which is an outward expression of sadness, felt inner side of mind and mostly on

gross level an expressed one and transitory feeling.The apperent nature and

style of expression of inner sorrow, often is regulated through social customs

and hence the nature of sorrow could be apprehended.This is now, though, the

sorrow is basically personal property, could be generalized on mass level for

understanding its general nature.

 

The nature however, of KLESHAS is subtle one.This is the very cause which

affects human activities,slowly, in his day-to day life.The gnawing effect of

these KLESHAS is the very cause of greatly disturbing and consequently eroding

the mind -  quality and or ultimately affects the deep layer of mind-stuff.This

is called' Aadhi' in Sanskrit and when this condition of mind affects the body

it becomes 'Vyaadhi'.As people are aware,the number of psycho-somatic diseases

is greater than infectious diseases.

 

The KLESHAS are therefore, greatly important for understanding the changing

condition of individual mind and on the level of the basic individual human

component than that of generalized mass component as in degree, level and scope

the nature of KLESHA remains

as property of an individual as it varies on personal level with variety of

reasons and with multitudes of modifications.

 

Having studied deeply, the very nature of KLESHAS, Prof. I.K.Taimni has rightly

pointed out that, 'the Western scholars do not fully understand the

philosophical or real significance of five KLESHAS and tend to regard it as

expression of pessimism which they think as charecterstics of Hindu

Philosophical thought.At the best, they take it as ingenious philosophical

conception.

 

The pecularities of Western philosophical thinking, as Prof,Taimni points out

are ' it is a branch of learning concerned with evolving theories about life and

universe, whether these theories are correct and help in solving the real

problems of life is not a concern of a philosopher. They are not supposed to

provide the means of overcoming the miseries and suffering incidental to human

life.Therefore the academic philosophy is considered barren and futile by the

common man and treated with indifference.'

 

In Indian system, we treat philosophy as a means of expounding real and deeper

problems of human life and providing with effective and permanent means for

human problems.

 

The interesting point as to why and how the reasonably alert section of

philosophers in western countries are not attracted towards the cocept of KLESHA

of Patanjali which deals with deeper and true cause of human miseries rather

than on gross level concept of sorrow, which although not new for Indian

traditional thought, is surely the upper, visible and transitory layer of

expressing human afflictions.

 

Study of these lines, will lead us to the real nature of studying Indian thought

by western philosophers, and the reasons prompted them to study academically,

neglecting the issues pertaining to common man.

 

That is, not the view point at present, and it is a seperate issue. Let us be

worthy of pointing out these subtulities for really contentious thinkers of the

world as the KLESHA is a global problem and not the problem of any religion or

Nation.

 

                                                         Prof. A.R. Hardikar

 

Prof.A.R. Hardikar is Kavya Teerth, I.B.S. Director All India Radio (Retd.)

 

 

 

 

 

            

                

                           

 

 

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[Guest guest]

This was very interesting reading...thank you.