What is neither known nor unknown?

You: Purusha, the Witness, Pure Consciousness

Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah. Salutations to all the teachers.

Welcome back! Last time, we went over the three gunas (three threads, or qualities) that compose the universe - sattva, rajas, and tamas - and where we can experience them directly in our daily lives.

This time, we will discuss the final category in the 25 Tattvas - You, aka Purusha.

Shiva and Shakti: The symbol of the two eternal categories in Sankhya, Prakriti and Purusha

The word “Purusha” literally means “person”, and is one of the two eternal categories in Yoga (the other being Prakriti, or nature). The two are symbolised as Shiva and Shakti, where Shakti is Prakriti, and Shiva is Purusha - blissful and unattached. In Vaishnava traditions, Purusha is also symbolised as Vishnu resting on the divine serpent Adishesha. The different schools of Indian philosophy (apparently) differ on the nature of Purusha, but for the purposes of this article we will use an introductory method of inquiry from the Advaita Vedanta tradition, known as Drg Drishya Viveka - the method of the Seer and the Seen.

Shiva: One of many symbols of Purusha, the Pure Consciousness

The fundamental axiom here is that the Seer is different from the Seen.¹ That is, the observer and the observed are different from each other. Notice right now, as you look at this screen, that you are not confusing yourself with the screen. You, the observer, are different from the screen which you observe. There is a trinity - observer, observed, and observation (in Sanskrit - Pramaata, Prameya, Pramaana)², and it is this trinity upon which all knowledge rests. Without it, no knowledge is possible.

Another thing to note is that the observer is one, and the observed are many. The observer is conscious, and the observed is inert. The observer is internal, the observed is external. The observer is relatively unchanging, and the observer is relatively changing. Finally the observer is without form, the observed is with form.

These are the distinctions between Seer and Seen.

Differences between the Seer and the Seen (Drg and Drishya)

Now let us dive into the method.

रूपं दृश्यं लोचनं दृक् तद्दृश्यं दृक्तु मानसं | 

दृश्याधीवृत्तयस्साक्षी दृगेव न तु दृश्यते ||

Roopam Drishyam Lochanam Drk Taddrishyam Draktu Maanasam

Drishyaadheevrittayassaakshi Drigeva Na Tu Drishyate

Form is seen, the eyes are the seer. The eyes are seen, the mind is the seer.

The movements of the mind are seen by the Witness. This Seer has no further seer.

- Drg Drishya Viveka 1

Step 1: Form is observed by the eyes

Look closely at these words. They are pixels on a screen.

Your eyes are the observer, and the form of these pixels are the observed. The eyes are a single unit, and the forms are many. Look around the room. It is the same eyes that observe everything you see. You can use your ears (or any other sense organ) as well. Your ears hear all sounds - everything you hear is heard by the same ears.

Your eyes are more conscious than the forms, which are comparatively inert.

Your eyes are more internal than the forms they perceive.

Your eyes change less frequently in comparison to the forms they perceive. It is because of this fact that they are able to perceive change in form.

Your eyes, from your point of view, are formless, while they observe form everywhere.

With these differences, we can clearly see (no pun intended) that the eyes are different from the forms that they perceive.

Step 2: Eyes are perceived by mind

Now turn your attention to your eyes. Your mind knows when they are open, and when they are closed. Your mind knows if you can’t see clearly, if you need glasses, or when there is something in your eyes. Your mind is the observer, and your eyes are the observed. In fact, your mind is the observer of all your senses.

Notice, your mind is a single unit, and the senses are many. Your mind knows each eye individually, it knows each ear, it can feel when your sense of touch is numbed and when your sense of taste is dulled from a drink that was too hot.

Your mind is more conscious than the senses, which are inert objects to your mind.

Your mind is more internal than the senses it perceives.

The state of mind changes less than the change in the eyes that are being perceived. If the state of mind is in flux more than the changes in the eyes, the changes in the eyes will not be perceived.

Your mind, from your point of view, is formless, as it observes the senses which have a form of their own.

Purvapaksha (P): Didn’t you just say that the eyes are formless? Now you contradict yourself saying that the eyes have form. Do my eyes have form or don’t they?

Jogi: See for yourself! Notice, while the eyes perceive form, the eyes are formless. However, when the mind perceives the eyes, the eyes now have a form (open, closed, clear, fuzzy, etc.). In this way, we can see that the observer is always formless, while the observed has a form - otherwise, it cannot be perceived!

In this way, we can see that the mind is different from the eyes, and the senses.

Step 3: You perceive the mind

Now for the fun part. 

Turn your attention to your mind. You know when there are thoughts, and when there are no thoughts. You even know the quality of the thoughts. You know when you are happy and when you are sad, when you are distracted and when you are focused. You are the observer, and your mind is the observed.

Notice, you are a single unit, while the mental states, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and even decisions, are many (the technical term is vrittis, or whirlpools - more on this in a future article).

P: Wait a second. The mind is one and the thoughts are many. Is the mind different from the thoughts?

Jogi: What is a mind apart from thoughts?

P: The container of the thoughts?

Jogi: Do you ever perceive the container by itself?

P: (pauses) No.

Jogi: Funny, isn’t it? So how do you know that there is a mind apart from thought?

P: The brain?

Jogi: You know of the physicality of the brain, but from an experiential standpoint, do you experience its texture, its form, its squishyness?

P: No, but science says that the brain is where the thoughts happen.

Jogi: True, and this is correct within the framework of science. The method of inquiry here, however, is phenomenological - following our direct experience. Both are true, and serve different purposes – we should not reject science. Science will help us to find objective correlates to experience, like which physical neurons light up when we experience happiness, and so on. However, our direct experience is our most reliable source when it comes to the subjective experience of mind. Use the right framework for the right problem. We use the framework of Newtonian physics, not chemistry, when building a bridge. Similarly, we use numbers, not alphabets, when counting money. Both are correct, but the right framework should be used for a given purpose.

P: So mind and brain are two different views of the same thing?

Jogi: Sort of. Mind, here, is the direct experience of your inner world, whereas the brain is the physical organ which correlates to those experiences. It is like your eyes and the power of sight. The physical eyes are not directly experienced as round or coloured in your own experience, but rather you experience what it feels like to see. 

P: Ok, so back to mind and thoughts - mind is experienced as many, because mind is nothing but thoughts, and thoughts are many?

Jogi: Exactly. And to add on to this, You, the experiencer of these thoughts, are one.

Ok, so You are one, and vrittis (movements of the mind) are many. Further, You are conscious, and the movements of mind are objects in your experience - inert in themselves.

P: Wait, so thoughts are not conscious?

Jogi: Do you see your thoughts or do your thoughts see you?

You are also more internal than the thoughts - you experience thoughts as “outside” You (here, outside is not literally outside the mind, but outside the Pure Consciousness which acts like a light, illumining the thoughts in the mind). 

We are in very subtle territory here - make sure to be careful about definitions in order to grasp the meaning. The thought is more internal than the body, but more external to You, the perceiver of the thoughts. 

You are changeless, while the mind changes continuously. It is only due to this fact that You can perceive the changes in your mental state.

Finally, You, the observer, are formless, while the thoughts have form (the word form here is used loosely as a translation of the Sanskrit aakaar, not roopa which means physical form).

You are not your mind. You are the perceiver of the mind.

To clarify this, there is a story of a man who was troubled by his thoughts.

He was told that in the mountains, there was a monk who could help him. Resolved to stop at nothing to calm his mind, the man traveled deep into the mountains, and eventually, after a long journey, found the storied monk meditating in a cave. He waited for the monk to open his eyes, and taking the opportunity, he asked, “Sir, I have travelled a long way to find you. I am troubled, I am miserable, I am always sad. Please tell me - how do I calm my mind.”

Listening compassionately, the monk replied, “Are you miserable, or are you the witness of the misery in your mind?”

Hearing this, the man had an epiphany. He was the untouched witness of the misery in his mind - like a lotus leaf is not wet by the droplets of water that roll off it. His life changed, the man folded his hands in thanks, and went back down the mountain to journey back to his village. 

Several years passed by, and the man had used this teaching to live a more peaceful, calm life. His mind was now calm, and at ease. He had even shared this teaching with his children and friends. One day, the man decided that he must thank the monk for changing his life in this way, and left home once again to journey up to the mountain.

After weeks of arduous travel up into the mountains, the man finally found the monk - still sitting in the same cave, in meditation. He waited until the monk opened his eyes, and then folded his hands and said, “Sir - we met all those years ago when I was miserable. You gave me advice that has completely changed my life. You told me that I am not miserable, but rather the witness of the misery in my mind, and now I am peaceful, joyful, and happy.”

The monk listened compassionately, and slowly started to shake his head. He said, “It seems you have not understood. Are you peaceful, joyful, and happy, or are you the witness of the peace, joy and happiness in your mind?”

Credit: Reddit

P: Why can’t it be that the mind perceives itself?

Jogi: This is an excellent question. The mind does indeed have the power to observe itself - this is introspection. We are able to think about thoughts, and this is a powerful capability that enables us to do great things. However, are you not aware of introspection as well?

P: Yes, but why can’t this too be the mind?

Jogi: In logical terms, it leads to infinite regress (anavasthaa) - a logical fallacy. In practical terms, consider the example of a surgeon conducting an intense surgery. The surgeon is extremely focused on what they are doing - they are not introspecting. Would you say they are thus unconscious?

P: Of course not! The surgeon is absolutely conscious!

Jogi: If you are saying that Consciousness is the mind’s awareness of itself, then the surgeon must be unconscious, since they are not introspecting while conducting surgery. If you insist that the surgeon is Conscious, then the Consciousness must be separate from the mind as its observer.

Ok, now that we have gone through this method of inquiry, there you likely have some idea in your mind about the Purusha. Beware - this is a trick of the mind. Notice how you perceive this mental object also - it is different from you. 

We might imagine the Purusha to be some light-filled orb, or some sort of translucent purple-hued humanoid shape that floats somewhere within the body - but this is not the teaching. The Purusha is not an object, it is not “your Purusha” or “your Consciousness” it is You yourself, the observer. Just as an eye cannot see itself, just as a fire cannot burn itself, and just as the tip of a finger cannot touch itself, the Purusha cannot be directly observed. The clarify this, here is an ancient verse from the sages of the Kena Upanishad:

न तत्र चक्षुर्गच्छति न वाग्गच्छति मनो 

न विद्मो न विजानीमो यथैतदनुशिष्यात | 

अन्यदेव तद्विदितादथो अविदितादधि 

इति शुश्रुम पूर्वेषां ये नस्तद्व्यचिचक्षिरे ||

Na Tatra Chakshurgacchati Na Vaggachhati Mano

Na Vidmo Na Vijaaneemo Yathaitadanushishyaat

Anyadeva Tadviditaadatho Aviditaadadhi

Iti Shushruma Poorveshaam Ye Nastadvyachichakshire

Neither the eyes, nor the ear, nor speech can go there.

We don’t know it, nor do we know how to teach about it.

It is different from all that is known, and different from all that is unknown.

This is what we have heard from the ancient ones who taught us.

- Kena Upanishad 1.3

In Sankhya, there are numerous Purushas - each one of us is a separate Purusha. In Advaita Vedanta, a further progression in Indian philosophy, we find that there is actually just one Purusha (in Advaita it is referred to by another name - Atman), the witness of all bodies and minds, and the source within which they all appear, as waves appear in water. This is not some mystical or spooky teaching requiring faith, but rather found through observation and inference only. It is argued rationally to come to this final conclusion through centuries of dialectics, and is something we will discuss in future articles.

For now, we will stick with the Yoga view, where Patanjali does not commit one way or another. Somewhat mysteriously, in his third Sutra, he simply says:

तदा द्रष्टुः स्वरूपे अवस्थानम् |

Tadaa drashtuh svaroope avasthaanam

Then [in the highest state of Yoga], the Seer rests in its own nature.

- Yoga Sutras 1.3

You are not your body. You are not your mind either. You are Purusha - the witness of the world, time, space, the body, the mind, and everything in between. You may understand this intellectually, but by making your mind more Sattvic, the methods of Yoga will make it a visceral, direct experience.

Thus far, we have gone over the underlying metaphysical framework of Yoga. It may seem quite theoretical at this point, but it is important to lay the foundation with care before proceeding, so that the Yogi can understand the “why” behind the practices rather than following them blindly.

Next time: The 5 Bhumis: States of mind

As always, if you have any questions, comments, objections, or feedback, please use the comments section below!

1. The separation between the Seer and Seen in Yoga is only a stepping stone to the final Truth of non-duality, which we will discuss more in future articles as we dive into Advaita Vedanta. A fool who persists in his folly becomes wise. However, for anyone who is interested in pondering this now, consider a pot made of clay - is there really a pot, or is it just a name and form superimposed onto clay?

2. Technically speaking, the trinity of Pramaataa, Prameya, and Pramaana (observer, observed, and observation) is itself observed by the Saakshi (the Witness). In this article, the Saakshi is referred to as the Purusha.