Abhinivesha

Clinging to life, fear of death. The fifth and deepest of the kleshas, present even in the wise.

Patañjali notes that abhinivesha arises spontaneously, without need of prior experience. This suggests that fear of death is rooted in samskaras from previous lives — a cellular memory of having died before.

This klesha reveals the most basic identification: believing we are the body that can die. Only direct realization of purusha (immortal consciousness) completely dissolves it. Meanwhile, practice cultivates the capacity to let go.