Yoga Sutras 1.3: Tada Drashtuh Svarupe Avasthanam - Seer, Seeker & Seen are One
1.3 Then the Seer abides in Itself, resting in its own True Nature, which is called Self-realization.
"Tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam"
- tada = then, at that time; at the time of concentration and meditation
- drashtuh = the seer's, of the soul, witness, Atman, Self; from the root drsh, which means to see (It is significant to note that Patanjali is not trying to define who is the seer, or the nature of that seer. This is left to be answered or resolved in direct experience.)
- svarupe = in its own nature, own form or essence; (sva = own; rupa = form)
- avasthanam = stability, settling, remaining, being in a state, resting, standing, lying, abiding; the root stha means to stand
Through the stilling of the changing states of the mind - “Yogas chitta vrtti nirodah,” described inYoga Sutra 1.2, a shift slowly starts to occur. The brain chatter of the left side of the brain starts to slow down; and the yogi shifts into the right side of their brain. The right side of the brain is our connection to the world and every living being around us.
With the brain chatter subdued, and the right side of the brain more fully engaged, the yogi is then able to use restraint in thought, action, and purpose. This is when the true Self starts to stand alone, and apart from our many false identities.
The whole process is why the phrase Self-realization uses the word realization, instead of attainment. We are not grasping at something to be won, like a trophy. Instead, we are realizing that we are a spark of divinity. Made out of the same cosmic stardust as the rest of the universe. ThisRadiance Sutra brings things into perspective.
Radiance Sutra II 151 II
The flowers, the incense,
Grains, oils, and honey
Offered in worship
Are all made of the same divine stuff as you
Who then is being worshiped?
Grains, oils, and honey
Offered in worship
Are all made of the same divine stuff as you
Who then is being worshiped?
We come to the realization that we are worthy of worship, that true happiness doesn’t lie outside, something to be attained - something that many believe may never come in their lifetime.
Without our breath, we are not alive. When we are able to focus, and think clearly, we are able to realize our breath as the animating force which gives us life – in every cell of our body. This theprocess of alchemy. Gloomy clouds burn away so that we can see the light in us that was already there, all along.
We understand that we perfectly capable of being receptive to this intimate connection where “The Seer abides in Itself, resting in its own True Nature, which is called Self-realization.”
Think of this example for a second. Imagine you are walking at a shopping mall, the county fair, or Disneyland. As you make your way with the flow of traffic through the crowd, it’s hard to notice specific details of people, faces, and happenings. Everything is coming at you so fast that you might only be able to catch a few details about the people walking around, and towards you.
You walk for a while and then decide to find a quiet bench to sit down at, and take a rest for a bit. You sit down and close your eyes, relax your body posture, begin to breath slowly in and out your nose with your mouth closed, tongue to the roof of your mouth, and letting your thoughts slowly come and then let them go.
When you open your eyes, you start watching people. All of a sudden you’re noticing more and more than when you were walking through the crowd. The mother walking with her child holding the red balloon, and her right shoe untied. A young teenage couple with the kind of sparkle and love in their eyes you know all too well will end before the end of next week. The couple sitting across the courtyard having lunch, totally engrossed in their cell phones, and not with each other.
Awareness remains unchanged: You are witnessing all of life go by. This is yoga. Where your awareness remains unchanged. You see that while the thought patterns (or people walking towards you in the crowd) shift here and there, ever changing their shape, the way the waves on the ocean keep shifting; your awareness of life itself never changes. There is a constant, ever flowing, ever being awareness that simply is, that observers or witnesses.
In your yoga and meditation practice, this truth and process is realized over and over again. Each time going a little bit deeper, becoming a little more stable. Going level by level to the center of consciousness that stands alone, though part of all the levels.
The seer: The word drastuh means seer or witness. The word seer does not give you a theological or metaphysical description or definition of who you are. You are to experience what the seer is for yourself, through your own experiential practice of yoga and meditation.
One day you will learn that: “The seer, seeker, and seen are one.”
“This is one of the beautiful qualities of yoga and the Yoga Sutras (Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1.3).
There is nothing in the word seer to believe or not believe. By saying that the seer rests in its true nature after transcending the many forms of thought patterns in the mind field (1.3), one can simply do the purifying practices and personally experience the results. It is useful to remember that Patanjali is not actually telling you what is the nature of your true self, but that the seer will be experienced in itself, in its true nature, whatever or however that is ultimately experienced and described by each person.”
How Sutra 1.3 can be used as a mantra:
“Om Tada Drashtuh Svarupe Avasthanam”
by
k.jagadeesh
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