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[Alexandr Korol]

Each of the remaining four hindrances is examined in the same manner in the subsequent sections of the sutta.
In the Samaññaphala Sutta (DN 2), the Buddha offers a metaphorical comparison for the hindrances:
Just so, great king, a monk who has not abandoned these five hindrances sees himself as if in debt, as if ill, as if imprisoned, as if enslaved, as if on a difficult and obstructed path.
In the Saṅgārava Sutta (SN 46.55), the Buddha compares sensual desire to seeking a clear reflection in water mixed with lacquer, turmeric, and dyes; ill will to boiling water; sloth and torpor to water overgrown with plants and algae; restlessness and remorse to wind-ruffled water; and doubt to “murky, stirred-up water standing in the dark.””

“In post-canonical Pali literature

According to the Vimuttimagga, an exegetical text composed in the 1st century, the five hindrances include ten “fetters”: sensual desire encompasses all forms of passionate attachment; ill will includes all unhealthy states of hatred; sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, and doubt encompass all unhealthy states of attachment. The Vimuttimagga further clarifies that sloth refers to mental states, while torpor refers to physical states arising due to food, time of day, or mental conditions. If torpor arises due to food or time, it is counteracted by energy; otherwise, it can be removed through meditation. Moreover, the Vimuttimagga identifies four types of doubt:
• Doubt regarding the existence of self — a hindrance to calmness;
• Doubt concerning the Four Noble Truths and the three realms — a hindrance
to insight;
• Doubt regarding the Three Jewels — a hindrance to both calmness and insight;
• Doubt about places and people — a hindrance in “non-doctrinal” matters;
• Doubt concerning the suttas — a hindrance to seclusion.

According to the Sāratthappakāsinī commentary on the Saṃyutta Nikāya, composed in the 5th century by Buddhaghosa, hindrances can be instantly avoided by the method of suppression or illumination in the state of jhāna. Additionally, hindrances can be eliminated through the attainment of one of the four stages of enlightenment.