Patanjali Yoga Sutra 2.20 (Parisamvad)

Patanjali Yoga Sutra Transcribed from Parisamvad at The Yoga Institute.

Chapter 2, Sutra 20

 

Drasta Drsimatrah Suddhah Api Pratyayanupasyah

Drasta: the seer
Drsimatrah: power of seeing
Suddhah: pure
Api: even though
Pratyaya: the cause
Anupasyah: appearing to see

This Seer Is Consciousness Only, Even Though Pure He Re-Perceives

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Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra:

“They talk of the seer that is consciousness, and the seen that is external world. The external world is just for seeing, it’s pure, it doesn’t have any particular picture on it, but what we see is all coloured, it’s not pure. These are where the problem comes. We get mixed up. We have the capacity to see the external world as it is. But we just can’t see. We see it in some colours, some form, some shapes. This is what the Sutra is saying.”

Smt. Hansaji J. Yogendra:

“This whole sutra tells us that consciousness is pure. It’s non-material, doesn’t get affected by anything. It is totally blissful. But that consciousness is mixed with the material world and your Chitta, Buddhi (intellect) shows that consciousness is that and so you become Drashta. The world is continuously changing, it gives you pain, suffering, problems. The world goes on doing all that and the consciousness is observing that and you get affected.

But then, the moment wisdom and understanding comes, that the world is the world and I am I, then it remains separate for him and he gets liberated. So the point is that when you are with somebody, you may be really good and pure, but that person is not, when you are involved with that person again and again, its effect is going to be there with you. It is like, if you are walking in a coal mine, no matter how aware/ careful you are, some black spots are going to come on your clothes.

So we have to make sure that what we see is also pure. In our life, we have to be conscious about it, with whom we are talking, what kind of thinking and awareness we have, otherwise it’s going to affect us. And what takes us away from pain and suffering is knowledge, the discrimination of what is real and what is unreal. That continuous awareness should be maintained. At least we should stop suffering from the external world. At least we should try and make our Chitta purer and purer so that it becomes a reflection of consciousness, like a pure clean mirror.”

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