Patanjali Yogasutra 2.23
(Prakriti and Purusha)
स्वस्वामिशक्त्योः स्वरूपोपलब्धिहेतुः संयोगः || 2.23 ||
"The conjunction of the Seer (Purusha) and the Seen (Prakriti) is for the purpose of the Seer recognizing its own True Nature and the powers of the Seen."
In this Sutra, Patanjali introduces the concept of the union or conjunction (samyoga) between the Seer (Purusha) and the Seen (Prakriti). The Seer represents Pure Consciousness, which is unchanging and eternal, while the Seen includes all of Nature and material existence, characterized by change and impermanence. The Seer's union with the Seen is not a mere coincidence but has a specific purpose: to enable the Seer to Realize its True Nature, which is distinct from the Seen.
This Realization is crucial in the path of yoga because it leads to the discrimination between the eternal and the non-eternal, the Real and the unreal. The Seen, through its transformations and interactions, provides experiences that serve as a mirror for the Seer to recognize its own true form, which is beyond all change and unaffected by the attributes of Prakriti. The conjunction is, therefore, a necessary condition for spiritual awakening, but it is also the cause of bondage until the Seer fully Realizes its True Nature.
Patanjali further implies that this conjunction, while initially causing ignorance and attachment, eventually becomes the means of Realization. Once the Seer recognizes its distinction from the Seen, the attachment dissolves, leading to freedom. The process of yoga, therefore, involves a gradual detachment from the Seen and an increasing identification with the Seer, culminating in the State of Realization or Kaivalya.
Swami Vivekanand said:
"According to this aphorism, when this Soul comes into conjunction with Nature, both the power of the Soul and the power of Nature become manifest in this conjunction, and all these manifestations are thrown out. Ignorance is the cause of this conjunction. We see every day that the cause of our pain or pleasure is always our joining ourselves with the body. If I were perfectly certain that I am not this body, I should take no notice of heat and cold, or anything of the kind. This body is a combination. It is only a fiction to say that I have one body, you another, and the sun another. The whole universe is one ocean of matter, and you are the name of a little particle, and I of another, and the sun of another. We know that this matter is continuously changing, what is forming the sun one day, the next day may form the matter of our bodies."
Contextual Comparison with Vedic Texts
Bhagavad Gita 13.30
प्रकृत्यैव च कर्माणि क्रियमाणानि सर्वशः।
यः पश्यति तथात्मानमकर्तारं स पश्यति || 13.29 ||
"They alone truly see who understand that all actions (of the body) are performed by material Nature, while the embodied soul actually does nothing."
This verse from the Bhagavad Gita echoes the same theme of distinguishing between Purusha and Prakriti. It highlights the Realization that the Self (Purusha) is merely a Witness and not an actor in the events governed by Prakriti. This Realization leads to liberation, much like the recognition of the Seer’s True Nature in Patanjali's Sutra.
Isha Upanishad 8
स पर्यगाच्छुक्रमकायमव्रणमस्नाविरं शुद्धमपापविद्धम्।
कविर्मनीषी परिभूः स्वयम्भूः यथातथ्यतोऽर्थान्व्यदधाच्छाश्वतीभ्यः समाभ्यः || 8 ||
"He (the Self) is all-pervading, luminous, bodiless, without scars, without muscles, pure, untainted by sin. He is the Seer, the thinker, all-pervading, self-existent; He has duly allotted the respective duties to the eternal forces of Nature."
The Isha Upanishad describes the Self as distinct from the physical world, highlighting its Purity and Omni-presence. The Seer is untouched by the attributes of Prakriti, much like the Purusha in the Yogasutras. The Upanishad stresses the eternal and unchanging Nature of the Self, which aligns with the Seer's Realization of its True Nature.
Yoga Vashishta 6.2.97
देहात्मधीरनात्मधिया स्वमात्मानं पश्यन्नपश्यन्निव मूढधीरः।
संसक्तचेताः सहते न दुःखं सत्त्वं परं पश्यति नष्टदृष्टिः || 6.2.97 ||
"The deluded person who identifies with the body and not with the Self does not see the Self; he appears to see but is actually blind. His mind, entangled in attachment, does not perceive the Supreme Being, just as a person with impaired vision does not see clearly."
The Yoga Vashishta speaks of the ignorance that arises when one identifies with the body (Prakriti) rather than the Self (Purusha). This ignorance leads to suffering, as the True Nature of the Seer is obscured. The verse underscores the importance of recognizing the distinction between the Seer and the Seen to attain spiritual liberation, paralleling the message of Patanjali’s Sutra.
These verses collectively emphasize the importance of discerning the True Nature of the Self, the Purusha, in the context of its relationship with Prakriti, reinforcing the teachings of Patanjali in the Yogasutras.
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