द्रष्टा दृशिमात्रः शुद्धोऽपि

Patanjal Yoga-Sutra : sadhanapad --

20-21-22-23-24-25-26-27

पातञ्जल योगसूत्र : साधनपाद -- २०-२१-२२-२३-२४-२५-२६-२७

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द्रष्टा दृशिमात्रः शुद्धोऽपि प्रत्ययानुपश्यः।।२०।।

(द्रष्टा दृशिमात्रः शुद्धः अपि प्रत्यय-अनुपश्यः।।)

Two roles of the द्रष्टा / The Observer and the Witness : समाधिपाद योग-सूत्र ३ / Samadhipad Aphorism 3 refers to  द्रष्टा / the observer, who is the चित्त / the mind, one mixed up with the वृत्ति / vritti, is impure, while the one who has been referred to in the above योग-सूत्र २० / the Aphorism 20 here, is the साक्षी / witness who is ever so uncontaminated with any विषय / the object, what-so-ever and is the शुद्ध दर्शन / चित् / pure witnessing only, without the other. Referring to Him is though conditional and is therefore said to be प्रत्ययानुपश्यः / according to the प्रत्यय / notion.

तदर्थ एव दृश्यस्यात्मा।।२१।।

(तदर्थ एव दृश्यस्य आत्मा।।)

And according to this notion that serves the purpose of describing it, it is the आत्मा / "the spirit" ,the individual self or the Self as साक्षी / the witness. The same has been pointed out in the following Aphorism : 

कृतार्थं प्रति नष्टमप्यनष्टं तदन्यसाधारणत्वात्।।२२।।

(कृत-अर्थं प्रति नष्टं अपि अनष्टं तत् अन्य-साधारणत्वात्।।)

One who has realized how, the विषयी, the one who is associated with the विषय / object is so because of and through वृत्ति / vritti, while the one who is pure and untouched as the साक्षी / witnesse both are indeed the observer only. He is कृतार्थ / perfect, having accomplished the goal, and the one who has not accomplished so far is called the अकृतार्थ / the imperfect, has to make efforts in this direction.

कृतार्थ / accomplished is an exception while the अकृतार्थ / imperfect one is any one other or the common one. The one कृतार्थ / perfect-one has known that the same चित् / the awareness of The "Self" is the underlying truth in both the cases. 

स्वस्वामिशक्त्योः स्वरूपोपलब्धिहेतुः संयोगः।।२३।।

(स्व-स्वामि-शक्त्योः स्वरूप उपलब्धि हेतुः संयोगः।।*)

*द्रष्टृदृश्ययोः ... यदृच्छया  independent of cause / effect principle.

अकृतार्थ / The one who has not realized this, has this अविद्या / ignorance that is क्लेश / Klesha as has been described in the साधनपाद योग-सूत्र ३ / Sadhanapada Aphorism 3 :

अविद्यास्मितारागद्वेषाभिनिवेशाः।।३।।

अविद्या / avidyA / ignorance is the very first क्लेश / Klesha. Next is the अस्मिता / asmitA, the I-sense that is truly the ego. अविद्या / avidyA manifests because of the contact between the चेतना / all pervading consciousness and the विषय / the object. This happens in the case of a चेतन / sentient being only. The same fact is described in the योग-सूत्र / Aphorism :

तस्य हेतुरविद्या।।२४।।

(तस्य हेतुः अविद्या।।*)

*द्र्ष्टृदृश्य संयोगः अतो हि अविद्या अनादिः।

The अविद्या / avidyA is therefore said to be the अनादि / anAdi or Beginningless, It is revealed only after the birth.  

तदभावात्संयोगाभावो हानं तद्दृशेः कैवल्यम्।।२५।।

(तत् अभावात् संयोग अभावः तत् दृशेः कैवल्यम्।।)

When this contact between the चेतन-दृष्टा / the conscious sentient being and the object, is no more, there is कैवल्यम् / One settled in the state of pure being only. 

विवेकख्यातिरविप्लवा हानोपायः।।२६।।

(विवेकख्यातिः अविप्लवा* हानोपायः।।)

This state of destruction / annihilation of the  अविद्या / avidyA is attained by means of विवेक / the viveka, - the discrimination between the अनित्य / transient (दृश्य / the observed) and the नित्य / the permanent (दृष्टा) 

*अविप्लवा - uninterrupted.

When the attention given to this distinction is spontaneous and uninterrupted, it is called the विवेकख्यातिः / vivekakhyAtiH.

तस्य सप्तधा प्रान्तभूमिः प्रज्ञा।।२७।।

(तस्य सप्तधा प्रान्तभूमिः प्रज्ञा।।) 

The foundation of this विवेक / viveka is the seven-fold सप्तधा प्रान्तभूमिः प्रज्ञा prajnA.

This is achieved by practicing / performing the योग Yoga.

To be continued ...

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