Abhinivesha

Abhinivesha, one of the five Kleshas, is the fear of losing one’s name, one’s reputation, one’s life

- Dr. Hansaji J. Yogendra

Human beings the world over are Hestablished in selfishness, in their opinions. They don’t want to accept change, they fear it. In the Yoga Sutras, the word Abhinivesha means self-preservation, selfishness, or fear of death. A self-ascertained belief that I am the only one who is right, I believe in this, I have experienced it, and so it should happen like this. People who do not like to change and want to continue in the same way, claiming that they have created it, and they want to let it go on the way it is can be said to have the klesha of Abhinivesha.

Why does a person want to preserve himself, his name, his belongings? It is very clear that he wants his name to last even after his death. People have statues of themselves made because they want to be immortal.