सदा ज्ञाताश्चित्तवृत्तयस्तत्प्रभोः

Patanjal Yoga-Sutra : Kaivalyapada --

17-18-19-20-21-22-23-24-25

पातञ्जल योग-सूत्र : कैवल्यपाद

१७-१८-१९-२०-२१-२२-२३-२४-२५

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सदा ज्ञाताश्चित्तवृत्तयस्तत्प्रभोः पुरुषस्यापरिणामित्वात्।।१७।।

(सदा ज्ञाताः चित्तवृत्तयः तत् प्रभोः पुरुषस्य अपरिणामित्वात्।।)

The वृत्ति / vritti-s are known by one who is the knower and owner of them. This knower is changeless while the vritti-s keep changing all the time. This knower who claims "I know the vritti-s" is the individual पुरुष / purusha,  associated with those vritti-s, and is covered by and hidden, gets identified with another  वृत्ति / vritti that is the "I" sense. Who exactly is there that knows this I-sense? This I-sense is itself the consciousness, the knower of the vritti-s, yet assumes the form of something that is called उपाधि / upadhi / the adjunct. This adjunct could be a name, the memory,  the states of mind, This assumes existence in the four forms namely :

1  कर्तृत्व -- the sense of doer-ship -- The वृत्ति / vritti that is संकल्प / samkalpa like I do,  I did, I have to, I don't have to, I will do, etc. 

2 भोक्तृत्व -- the sense of enjoying, suffering and experiencing. Such as I am hungry, I'm thirsty,  I'm tired, I'm in pain. 

3 स्वामित्व -- the sense of being the owner, the one who possesses :  my house,  my family,  my money, my wealth, 

4 ज्ञातृत्व -- the sense "I know". All Knowledge is memory only. Because of the memory one remembers the knowledge.

Even in the absence of memory there is the sense that prevails in the form  : "I am".

So there is this knowing even without the knowledge of any object. This is the pure consciousness of just being, but it's not in the form of memory or knowledge. Once this knowing is overlapped by knowledge, there is the knower, the qualifying sense,  - as the adjunct. But the pure consciousness is the knower the individual, or the पुरुष / purusha. 

न तत्स्वाभासं दृश्यत्वात्।।१८।।

(न तत् स्व आभासं दृश्यत्वात्।।)

This individual, the पुरुष  / purusha is not the Self, but the inherent understanding "I am". 

एकसमये चोभयानवधारणम्।।१९।।

(एकसमये च उभय अनवधारणम्।।)

Because the चित्त / the chitta or the mind can't  grasp the both : the Self (I) and the identity as the knower / the पुरुष / the purusha, at the same time.  

चित्तान्तरदृश्ये बुद्धिबुद्धेरतिप्रसङ्गः स्मृतिसङ्करश्च।।२०।।

(चित्तान्तर-दृश्ये बुद्धि-बुद्धेः अतिप्रसङ्गः स्मृतिसङ्करश्च।।)

The chitta in transition between the interval from one to another वृत्ति / vritti, therefore becomes kind of a mental construct memory because of the intellect.

चितेरप्रतिसङ्क्रमायास्तदाकारापत्तौ स्वबुद्धिसंवेदनम्।।२१।।

(चितेः अप्रतिसङ्क्रमायाः तदाकारापत्तौ स्वबुद्धिसंवेदनम्।।)

As the चित् / chit or the pure knowing, the awareness of just being only, identified with the intellect is the consciousness of the pure Self, 

द्रष्टृदृश्योपरक्तं चित्तं सर्वार्थम्।।२२।।

(द्रष्टृदृश्य-उपरक्तं चित्तं सर्वार्थम्।।)

Such a चित् / chit, consciousness of the being only without the division of the observer and the observed, 

तदसङ्ख्येय वासनाभिश्चित्रमपि परार्थं संहत्यकारित्वात्।।२३।।

(तत् असङ्ख्येय वासनाभिः चित्रं अपि परार्थं -- संहति--- अकारित्वात्।।)

As if like a picture made of the innumerable desires, this knowing without essence is the Self as is realized in the state of mind by one,

विशेषदर्शिन आत्मभावभावनाविनिवृत्तिः।।२४।।

(विशेषदर्शिनः आत्मभावभावनाविनिवृत्तिः।।)

Is verily the Awareness "चित् / चैतन्य" / the chit, while the consciousness associated with the memory is  चेतना / the consciousness of being someone -- अहंकार, the ego or the self. 

तदा विवेकनिम्नं कैवल्यप्राग्भावं चित्तम्।।२५।।

(तदा विवेकनिम्नं कैवल्य-प्राक्-भावं चित्तम्।।)

पाठान्तरं  --

तदा विवेकनिम्नं कैवल्यप्राग्भारं चित्तम्।।२५।।

(तदा विवेकनिम्नं कैवल्य-प्राक्-भारं चित्तम्।।)

This चित्त / स्व आभास / चिदाभास, the inferior kind of the consciousness of the self is the state prior to कैवल्यम् / KaivalyaM, when there is विवेक / viveka - discrimination born of वैराग्य / dispassion.

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