Raga and Dvesha — Attraction and Aversion as the Engines of Bondage
Raga (attraction that follows pleasure) and Dvesha (aversion that follows pain) are the two engines that keep the wheel of conditioned existence turning — and both are rooted in the same Avidya.
Sutras 2.7 and 2.8 define Raga and Dvesha: Raga is the attraction that follows pleasure (sukhanushayi) — the mental pattern that says 'I want more of what felt good.' Dvesha is the aversion that follows pain (duhkhanushayi) — the mental pattern that says 'I want to avoid what hurt.' These two are not mere preferences but deep-rooted conditioned patterns that drive all motivated behavior. They operate mostly below the level of conscious choice, activating automatically whenever the mind encounters a situation that resembles a past pleasure or pain. Yoga practice works directly on these conditioned patterns through viveka (discrimination) and vairagya (non-attachment).
Attraction is the craving that follows pleasure. Aversion is the hostility that follows pain.
Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio's somatic marker hypothesis — that all decision-making is shaped by embodied memories of past pleasure and pain — provides a neurological confirmation of Patanjali's analysis of Raga and Dvesha as the engines of conditioned behavior.
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Written about in
- What the Yoga Sutras say about envy and comparison
Raga is the craving that follows pleasure, dvesha the hostility that follows pain (2.7-2.8). Comparison runs both at once: pull toward what another has, push against where you are. Patanjali insists these activate below conscious choice, which is why deciding not to envy someone rarely holds.