Freedom from Five Sources of Misery

Patanjali Yoga Sutras - Knowledge Sheet 19

Patanjali, in the next yoga sutra, beautifully analyses the fully blossomed state of consciousness.

"Klesha karmavipakashayairaparamrushtaha purushavishesha ëshwaraha"

klesha = affliction; karma = action; vipaka = fruits of action; ashayaihi = impressions; aparamrushtaha = untouched; purusha visheshaha = that special self; ëshwaraha = God.
"God is that special Self who is free from affliction, action, fruit of action, impression and untouched by events."
- Patanjali Yoga Sutra #24

That core of consciousness is free from the five causes of suffering.

What are the types of suffering?

One type of suffering is ignorance or avidya. When your consciousness is filled with ignorance, then there is restlessness, there is unhappiness and suffering. Misery is due to ignorance. Ignorance is giving importance to something that is not worth the importance. Ignorance is thinking something that is changing to be permanent or imagining something to be joyful which is not joyful. Just like, when someone passes a comment about you. It is just a word that came from a person's mouth and it vanished. But thinking it is a permanent thing, keeping it in your mind is ignorance. Someone's comment is a fleeting wave of thought or energy that came and went away. They don't even have that opinion later on. But you keep that in your mind, 'This is the opinion so and so have about me all the time,' which is not true.

'Me, me, my my' idea gives you misery

What people think about me? What do I want from them? How do I take advantage of them? Do they think I am good or bad? All these things about 'me, me, I, I' are called asmita. This is the second cause of suffering. Not being one with the existence and having a separate identity, 'I am different from everybody.' This asmita eats you up. That is the cause of your suffering.

The third is raga or strong craving for anything, fourth is dwesha means aversion or hatred and fifth is abhinivesha or fear. These are sources or causes of misery.

That consciousness deep down in you is devoid of these five factors. Though outwardly you are miserable, outside you are craving for something. If you really go to the core of your existence, you are free from it. You may hate somebody on the outside, but in the center of your existence there is no hatred. There is fear only on the outside. There is ignorance only on the outside, but when you come to the core of your existence, there is no fear. There is no ignorance there. There is no 'you' there.

When these five kleshas are eliminated even from the outer body, then whatever is in the center becomes eminent, so obvious. The Lordship in you blossoms. God in you is manifested. So God is that purusha, that Being which is devoid of these five kleshas, sufferings or misery. And He is also devoid of the four types of Karma.