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## Kashayas: Characteristics, Divisions, and Discussion
This section delves into verses 4 to 7 of the fourth chapter of Yoga Shastra. It addresses the question of whether there is anything other than the soul that is of primary importance. The answer is that the soul is the primary entity in all matters. Due to karma, the soul experiences suffering while inhabiting a body. When karma is destroyed, the soul attains its true nature and becomes blissful.
**Verse 4:**
The soul is truly the essence of consciousness and knowledge, as the characteristic of a living being is its ability to use. The body is formed due to the combination of karma, but this is not the case with other objects. Therefore, there is no need to gain knowledge of other objects. When the soul, through the fire of pure meditation, burns away all the fuel of karma and becomes free from the body, it becomes the liberated, pure, and unblemished Siddhatma.
**Verse 5:**
This soul, bound by kashayas and senses, is the cycle of birth and death, encompassing hell, animal life, human life, and heavenly realms. When this same soul conquers kashayas and senses, wise men call it liberation.
**Explanation:**
There is no liberation other than attaining one's true nature. The soul, which is the essence of bliss, attains its own nature. Therefore, one should practice self-knowledge. Right perception and conduct are also attained through this. In this verse, the soul is described as the conqueror of kashayas and senses.
**Verse 6:**
Anger, pride, deceit, and greed are the four kashayas that reside in the embodied soul. Each of these kashayas has four sub-categories, such as Sanjwalana (intense), Pratyakhyanavaran (hindering), Apratyakhyanavaran (partially hindering), and Anantanubandhi (infinitely binding).
**Explanation:**
Anger, pride, deceit, and greed are called kashayas. Alternatively, anything that causes harm to living beings is called a kashayas. "Kash" means "samsara" (cycle of birth and death) or "karma," and "ay" means "to be present." Kashayas cause repeated cycles of birth and death. Kashayas are present only in embodied, worldly beings, not in liberated souls. The four types of kashayas, anger, pride, deceit, and greed, are further divided into four sub-categories based on their intensity and duration. For example, anger has four sub-categories: Sanjwalana (intense), Pratyakhyanavaran (hindering), Apratyakhyanavaran (partially hindering), and Anantanubandhi (infinitely binding). Similarly, there are four sub-categories for pride, deceit, and greed.
**Verse 7:**
Sanjwalana (intense) anger, pride, deceit, and greed last for fifteen days. Sanjwalana kashayas burn like a grass fire, for a short time. Or, they burn due to the presence of factors like anger, pride, deceit, and greed. Pratyakhyanavaran (hindering) kashayas last for four months. It is called "Pratyakhyan" for brevity. Pratyakhyanavaran kashayas hinder the practice of all restraints (niyamas). Apratyakhyanavaran (partially hindering) kashayas last for a year. The word "nab" in this term signifies "less," so it means "that which partially hinders the practice of restraints." Anantanubandhi (infinitely binding) kashayas, which are associated with false belief, bind the soul for countless lifetimes. Anantanubandhi anger, pride, deceit, and greed last until death. Even a momentary state of anger, pride, deceit, or greed, like that of King Prasannacandra, is considered Anantanubandhi, otherwise, there would be no opportunity to accumulate karma leading to hell.