THE KLESAS SUTRA
Thus have I heard. In the deep Hall of Shadows at the turning of the moon the Blessed One taught the Klesas Sutra—on the five poisons that bind the mind and the five-fold way to cut them free:
Desire (Raga) — the serpent of craving, coiled round the heart, ever hungry for more.
Aversion (Dvesha) — the viper of hate, spitting fire at every form it loathes.
Ignorance (Avidya) — the blind cobra, hooded in delusion that veils all truth.
Pride (Mana) — the crowned adder, reared in self-importance, deaf to deeper knowing.
Jealousy (Irshya)— the many-eyed asp, coveting every treasure it cannot hold.
Name each arising klesa “Chhāyā” (shadow) the moment it stirs—so no poison gains substance. At the first flicker of craving or aversion, intone “Chhāyā-cut” and wield the razor of insight. Embrace the pang that follows—“Duḥkhaṃ”—and learn its message as the forge of wisdom. Ignite fierce Śakti on the poison’s peak, then release it in the gap—so venom becomes medicine. Rest in the unborn gap between arising and passing, where no klesa may take root or return.
Freed from craving, aversion, ignorance, pride, and jealousy, the warrior rests unshaken—no shadow remains, only the boundless void of pure awareness.
Thus the assembly bowed in the hush of pure emptiness, each practitioner resolved to walk the warrior's way until every poison lay undone.
