Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 12

क्लेशमूलः कर्माशयो दृष्टादृष्टजन्मवेदनीयः ॥१२॥

kleśa-mūlaḥ karma-āśayaḥ-dṛṣta-adṛṣta-janma-vedanīyaḥ ||12||

Afflictions, rooted in the deposits of actions,
are experienced in seen and unseen birth.

kleśa - afflictions; distress; anguishmūla - rootkarman - act, action, performance; work, labour, activity; any religious act or rite; organ of senseāśaya - seed, deposit; resting place; ‘stock’ or ‘the balance of the fruits of previous works, which lie stored up in the mind in the form of mental deposits of merit or demeritdṛṣṭa - seen, looked at, beheld, perceived, viewed, observed, noticed; visible, apparent, observable; considered, regarded; treated of; appearing, manifested; occurring, found; experienced, suffered, endured; seen in the mind, devised, imagined, learned,adṛṣta - unseenjanman - birth, production; re-birthvedanīya - experienced
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Commentaries and Reflections

Commentary by T Krishnamacharya:

“What effects Kleśa have on us?
They affect our actions and the results are evident sooner or later.
Further they decide, in spite of us, what we do and don’t.
Our actions will be beyond our control, so are the consequences.”

Commentary by TKV Desikachar:

Commentary by S Ramaswami:

“Suppose Tanū Avasthā is reached and one is at peace in this lifetime, why stay in this state?
Patañjali says don’t leave it at it, and if asked why, we have the reason in this Sūtra with the theory of Karma.
It should be known that the root of Kleśa continues to be there from a previous birth.
The imprints of Karma are the Kleśa in root form.
Some can be traced to this Janma and some to the previous Janma.

Thus it follows that there will be further Janma with Kleśa.
Thus it should be understood that Tanu Avasthā is only a temporary measure and requires further action to remove the root of the Kleśa.”

Commentary by Paul Harvey:

“When seeking
the power of lightness,
take care lest we forget
the power of our roots.”