ध्यानहेयास्तद्वृत्तय: ।।११।।

ध्यान – meditation, हेया: eliminated, तद् – that, their (the क्लेश), वृत्तय – changing states of mind

The वृत्ति produced by these क्लेश are eliminated by ध्यान.

पतंजलि reconfirms here that the वृत्ति (referred to in Sec 1) are triggered or produced by the five क्लेश we discussed earlier. व्यास therefore states that क्रियायोग weakens the क्लेश and which are then further eradicated by ध्यान. This order is important to understand for साधक interested in connecting with the working of the mind as seen by योगसूत्र. As an analogy, gross dirt is removed first from soiled clothes and then efforts are directed at finer dirt – similarly, स्थूल manifestation of क्लेश can easily be removed by क्रियायोग while more सूक्ष्म ones require greater efforts in the form of ध्यान.

Commentary will get more intense from tomorrow. Some interesting ideas will come about

क्लेशमूल: कर्माशयो दृष्टादृष्टजन्मवेदनीय: ।।१२।।

क्लेश, मूल: – root, कर्म, आशय: – deposit, stock, दृष्ट -seen, अदृष्ट – unseen, जन्म – birth, वेदनीय – is experienced

The stock of कर्म (कर्माशय) has the क्लेश as its root. It is experienced in present or future lives.

कर्माशय is a key word here – it refers to the stock of कर्म we all carry. We all carry both good and bad कर्म. As per व्यास, examples of good कर्म include performing तप, chanting मंत्र, cultivating ध्यान and worshipping ईश्वर or a great ऋषि with enthusiasm and determination. He illustrates दुष्कर्म as harmful activities directed against the helpless, weak/ailing or fearful people, those who have placed faith in us, धार्मिक person or those performing तपस्या. व्यास also says that कर्माशय comes as a result of काम, क्रोध, लोभ & मोह. If you link these with क्लेश, काम & लोभ are triggered by राग & द्वेष, क्रोध arises by frustration of not attaining object of काम while मोह is triggered by क्लेश of अविद्या.

वाचस्पति adds here that even काम, क्रोध, लोभ & मोह may generate good कर्म and gives examples from श्रीमद्भागवत् पुराण – बलि under मोह gave three paces of Earth to श्रीविष्णु, तपस्या by ध्रुव was triggered by क्रोध, etc. विज्ञानभिक्षु adds that laws of कर्म apply only when they are performed out of अस्मिता/ अहंकार. Thus, good कर्म done out of अस्मिता/ अहंकार will generate पुण्य and bad कर्म done out of अस्मिता/ अहंकार generating पाप – however, where अस्मिता/ अहंकार is absent and actions are done as धर्म, there is no पुण्य or पाप for such actions – instead, there is reduction of कर्माशय from acts of धर्म which contributes to चित्त शुद्धि which is beneficial for योग.

Put this another way, all our कर्म is triggered by inclinations of कर्म we have within us (viz the संस्कार). Each such संस्कार have been acquired owing to क्लेश present within us. And every कर्म we thus do will generate a कर्मफल. And suppose we die, the संस्कार we continue to carry within us, the कर्मफल not yet experienced by us continue to carry their potency. And Nature will ensure that such potencies find fulfilment by taking to appropriate bodies to discharge them. Thus, there is a vicious circle – क्लेश provokes कर्म and कर्म fuels the क्लेश. And a series of कर्म we keep doing, whether सुकर्म or दुष्कर्म, keep producing fresh कर्म. This stock of accumulated कर्म, called as कर्माशय, then produces outcomes that are described in the next सूत्र. विज्ञानभिक्षु adds that it is our चित्त that carries our कर्माशय to the next birth.

PA: As illustrated in the  flow chart acting out of dharm or acting out of rag/Dwesh 👍👍

HB: How is good defined in yogasutra  .. good for me , good for my family , good for community…or good for world at large . Many things which are good for me may not be good for others. I am referring to the last sentence here. Who is accounting for Actions driven by dharma … although it seems like a release. The actions driven out of asmita/ avidya seem like a vicious trap to me … karma trap. Is it ?

UV: Madam – एसे कठिन प्रश्न का उत्तर मेरे पास नहीं है 😊. Let me share what I have gathered. As for first question on what is “good”, the very first सूत्र of this Section refers to तप, स्वाध्याय and ईश्वर प्रणिधान as the कर्म one needs to do. Towards the end of this Section, पतंजलि will expand these three to 5 यम & 5 नियम. Do note that कर्म refers to an act where you take agency for the action – I am helping, I am doing तप, I am praying, I am studying, I am….

As for “who” is accounting for actions, one may say भगवान but that is not a satisfactory answer intellectually though one who has भक्ति may accept this. Alternatively, you may accept this as the nature of things which does not need a presence of “who”. So if I go around with a magnet, iron objects will automatically attract while plastic objects will remain where they are. Similarly, if one does कर्म, संस्कार will deepen while if one does धर्म, they will clean up the System naturally. As one hears in the movie Matrix, all this is how the program works 😊. If we sharpen a knife, it cuts well but if we leave it open, it will rust. चित्त also works like an instrument and since our चित्त is the substratum over which धर्म and/ or कर्म happens, it is this that is keeping an account of everything. Eventually, with us engaged in धर्म on a continual basis, चित्त becomes purer and eventually disappears. Such is the composition or structure of the चित्त itself.

HB: There are over known 2 trillions galaxies and each galaxy may have thousands of millions of stars and we know the population of earth alone is over 7 billion. You do the maths … god is keeping tabs of our actions. He really has created lot of work for himself

UV: If God is separate from these galaxies, then your problem is valid if God as Purusha is inbuilt into every life form, there should be no problem on this score, right? 😊 Just as all varieties of plants come from the same Earth, so Earth knows how each and every plant thinks and acts. Plants cannot exist outside the Earth, plants are Earth only in varying forms – ultimately, there is Earth only, there are no plants..

HB: I can never deny that … there is some common energy within all of us … whether the object is animate or inanimate. I am just wondering at the system of karma. If it was so universal then why do different religious gurus / prophet s never mention. How can the rule be different for different people . The model is too complicated

सति मूले तद्विपाको जात्यायुर्भोगा: ।।१३।।

सति – when in existence, मूले – root, तत् – it’s, विपाक: – fruition, जाति – birth, आयु – age/ life-span, भोगा – experience 

As long as the root (viz क्लेश) exists, it fructifies as type of birth, span of life, and life experience (of an individual).

At the moment of expiry of one lifetime, the accumulated कर्माशय determines the जाति (animal, human, etc), आयु and भोग (nature of life experience) of our next life. Our कर्माशय that contains many संस्कार is like a fishing net covered with knots, as per व्यास, and the entire collective determines one’s future birth. Which कर्म fructifies immediately and which one does not? व्यास says that the कर्म that is most intensely expressed becomes the driver of our next life (other opposite संस्कार will require multiple births to fructify as some of these may be mutually exclusive). Since आयु of our life is pre-determined at birth, it is best to focus on doing धर्म while alive as against pursuit of hundreds of useless कर्म. Originally destined to live for 8 years, life of आदिशंकर kept on getting extended by another 8 years given his intense efforts to establish धर्म – purpose of a long life is thus primarily keep on doing धर्म since this burns up more and more संस्कार. But living till 100 only to watch IPL, watch Political news and play Bridge with friends is a wasted life 😊.

व्यास adds here that the cluster of कर्म that does not fructify immediately can 1) be destroyed, 2) merge with more dominant कर्म or 3) remain dormant for a long time over-shadowed by other कर्म. Performance of good कर्म destroys bad कर्म; however bad कर्म cannot destroy good कर्म but can merge with good as per व्यास and cause diminution or interference in enjoying the fruits of good कर्म – like an indigestion after eating a good meal. वाचस्पति says that at the time of death, the particular cluster of संस्कार destined to fructify in the next life arises as a wave and propels the चित्त into the next body and determines the mindset of that body. He adds that ultimately, कर्माशय results in pleasure & pain which deepens क्लेश of राग & द्वेष which in turn continue to generate more pleasure & pain and the cycle goes on. However, where क्लेश are destroyed, कर्माशय becomes impotent.

Pursuit of ज्ञान is therefore seen as key in धर्म traditions. Two results accrue in a person who develops ज्ञान – अविद्या is destroyed and thus the क्लेश are deprived of their base and further कर्म is no longer generated and second being the unmanifest कर्म called as सञ्चितकर्म is burnt up. And what ज्ञान are we referring to here? There is only one ज्ञान here viz the distinction between पुरुष & प्रकृति and knowing that our real identity is पुरुष (as against the limited identity imposed within our चित्त).

ते ह्लादपरितापफला: पुण्यापुण्यहेतुत्वात्।। १४।।

ते – these (जाति, आयु & भोग), ह्लाद – pleasure, परिताप – pain, फला: – result, fruits, पुण्य – virtue अपुण्य – vice, हेतुत्वात् – as a result of

These (जाति, आयु & भोग) bear the fruits of pleasure and pain, as a result of (the performance of) पुण्य & पाप

The सूत्र is self-explanatory. We get a certain life. And we experience pleasure & pain (expressed as ह्लाद & परिताप) arising from पुण्य & पाप कर्म located in our कर्माशय. विज्ञानभिक्षु makes a good point here that pleasure & pain exist in the experience and any experience is ultimately as a result of false idenfication of oneself with body and mind. Thus, क्लेश of अविद्या & अस्मिता remain at the root of all suffering. And for a योगी, even the so-called pleasure can be seen as a suffering from an ultimate perspective since it is temporary and there is always a pain or undesirable element mixed in every pleasurable situation.

Most people turn to religion to either gain peace of mind or some magical intervention by an unknown. But as we get into Indic thought, it becomes evident that religion offers neither. It questions our seeking for peace of mind or magical intervention and says that all of life is fundamentally दुःख only. Maybe some band-aid respite may occur from chanting सहस्रनाम or स्तोत्र (since पुण्य कर्म does lessen the impact of pain) but even such a relief tends to be a temporary one. पतंजलि is certainly not interested in giving lollipops for what are seen as wrong seekings by our minds to approach religion in the first place. Instead, he gets into a deeper point about why life as such is दुःख and then will give a way out of this fundamental problem – the next सूत्र should be an intense one for all.

PA: There is no lasting happiness and sorrow In objects and by objects we understand everything that is not aatma. But there is for sure temporary pleasure and sorrow in objects. That is the nature of Prakriti. Why would one feel happy by eating a delicious meal ? There are some temporary pleasure in these experiences of the objects.  The trouble only starts because we want to extend or repeat. The experience of joy and happiness or to reduce or repel the experience of pain. The attempt to do the latter or former leads to frustration and anger as it’s not always in our control to extend / repeat or stop / reduce the pain. Attachment to both pleasure and pain is what causes dukh. Since both are temporary then one at-least can try to not be too overjoyed in experience of objects of pleasure and not too overly sad in objects of pain. Objects again are of course everything that we can put a label on including of of course the thoughts in the brain.

परिणामतापसंस्कारदःखैर्गुणवृत्तिविरोधाच् च दुःखम् एव सर्वं विवेकिन: ।।१५।।

परिणाम – result, consequence, change, ताप – distress, संस्कार, दःखै:, गुण,वृत्ति, विरोधात् – conflict च – and, दुःखम्, एव – indeed, सर्वं – everything, विवेकिन – one who has विवेक or ability to discriminate

For one who has विवेक, everything is दुःख on account of the pain produced by the consequences (of action), by pain, and by the संस्कार, as well as on account of the suffering ensuing from the turmoil of the वृत्ति due to the गुण.

The previous सूत्र uses the word परिताप for pain while this सूत्र uses the word दुःख. And while परिताप refers to temporal experiences of pain that we go through throughout life (stomach pain caused by indigestion which goes away with medicine, pain caused by failure in a key exam which again goes away with success later in life or pain from marriage to a spouse who does not share our own “liberal/ religious” values but this pain goes away if spouse’s best friend supports our orientation 😊, etc), संसार being a दुःख is a much deeper idea. This suggests that everything about life is दुःख only. पतंजलि gives four reasons for making this statement with each successive cause being more सूक्ष्म than the previous one:

Pain produced by परिणाम

परिणाम means transformation, change or consequence and can be read as pointing to ever changing nature of everything. From this perspective, the अनुभव of any ह्लाद (joy) which appears so satisfying at the moment of अनुभव is changing and temporary by nature. 1st Samosa is fantastic – 10th is not, embrace of a loved one is satisfying for a few minutes but stiffling if this does not end after a while 😊, etc. Nothing lasts. No joy stays long. Something has to be stable eternally for us to experience change – e.g., when we go for an adventure viz a pursuit for change or buy a new TV, we want our body and mind to remain healthy or TV is give joy for a long time. But our health may deteriorate or TV may not work (or a new TV better than ours is rolled out for a lesser price 😊). Everything in संसार is thus guided by the principle of परिणाम and this absence of our ability to keep happiness continuing makes संसार an abode of दुःख

Pain produced by ताप

Three types of ताप (burning) influence all our अनुभव in संसार – अध्यात्मिक (produced by one’s body & mind such as illness, injury, insecurity or anxiety), अधिभौतिक (produced by other beings like mosquitoes, enemies, neighbours, etc) and अधिदैविक (produced by nature and environment, storms, floods, etc). One is thus always insecure as to which one will trouble our ability of have joyful अनुभव at any point of time. Whether we recognise the presence of these consciously or not, all these three constantly keep us in a state of stress. None of us are immune from the impact these ताप-त्रयम् which again makes संसार as an abode of दुःख. During our daily prayers, we utter शांति three times mainly to seek protection from the impact of ताप-त्रयम्.

Pain produced by संस्कार 

When संस्कार ripens as कर्म and fructify, one again has अनुभव of ह्लाद & परिताप. Desire for ह्लाद and aversion to परिताप trigger these latent संस्कार which fructify making us do कर्म post which they become स्मृति of past ह्लाद & परिताप. These स्मृति generate fresh craving and aversion, desire to recreate past pleasurable अनुभव – this is a form of mental torment or suffering where there is constant lament for past ह्लाद and hankering for ह्लाद one does not possess. And post अनुभव, new संस्कार gets generated that adds to कर्माशय. Only a योगी can recognize this vicious cycle as an undesirable state of affairs, not others. Says आदिशंकर – a wise person cannot enjoy something sweet if he or she knows that it will eventually cause sickness – योगी is also thus very sensitive to reactions generated from अनुभव. Others cannot see the long term consequences of कर्म that produce limited so-called happiness in the present.

Pain caused by flux in गुण 

त्रिगुण are the building blocks of both the external ब्रह्मांड as well as our own internal पिंडांड. Changing गुण keeps both always in a state of agitation. As per पुराण, the initial thrust (संकल्प) caused by कर्माशय of all beings at the end of previous कल्प made the ब्रह्मांड project itself in a way offering the most apt platform for these कर्माशय to fulfill themselves. Inert matter of the ब्रह्मांड, thus took on a particular shape as triggered by the गुण-mix of universal कर्माशय just as mud gets the shape of a pot as per संस्कार of a potter. Simultaneously, ब्रह्मांड is subject to change also by the changing गुण – mix of people occupying it – not just life on Earth and other ग्रह but also life in other dimensions. Our changing conduct (गुण-mix) thus keeps changing our environment. To be part of such an elaborate ecosystem that keeps changing its गुण owing to the changing गुण of its occupants makes life unpredictable – this continuing state of agitation makes life within प्रकृति submerged in दुःख. At a human level, this makes one experience happiness, agitation or illusion as a continuous process wearing the person down. It is akin to living life in a roller-coaster filled with moments of rise and fall on a continuous basis without having a clue as to why we have climbed onto a roller-coaster and not knowing whether this will ever end.

An interesting comment 

A result of continuous pursuit of ह्लाद & परिताप, as per व्यास, is that it inevitably causes harm to others in the endeavour, even if one benefits personally at a certain point of time. It thus binds one to accumulate कर्म (सुकर्म & दुष्कर्म) and given that pleasure can be attained only at some direct and indirect cost of harm to others, thus, seeds of aggression are added to one’s कर्माशय. For example, desire for new houses (one for each kid, one for holidays, one for parties, etc) means more digging of the Earth. It is evident to all of us that profusion of desire fulfilment from 20th century onwards has ruined Earth at an incredible pace, eliminated wildlife and reduced bio-diversity on a massive scale besides changing environment permanently. Aggression is a logical outcome of a rapacious appetite we have developed as a civilization for desire fulfilment.

So what do we do? 

Normal persons may use the phrase ‘No pain, no gain’ and continue to pursue happiness by taking on to inconveniences while a योगी is mindful of the fact that such an attitude will merely perpetuate vicious circle of संसार. व्यास makes a key point here; just as science of medicine has four parts (disease to be removed, cause of disease, freedom from disease and means of removal), योग also has four parts (disease to be removed viz संसार, cause of संसार viz contact between प्रकृति & पुरुष, freedom from संसार viz the cessation of this contact and means of removal viz pure knowledge). And the means of pure knowledge is विवेक. विवेक comes from the root word विक्, to separate and one who is able to separate पुरुष from प्रकृति may be said to possess विवेक. Such a one is able to see even the ह्लाद expressed in the previous सूत्र as an अनुभव of दुःख since it belongs to प्रकृति only.

Like today, the next few days will be very intense. One can say that the deepest core of सनातन thought finds an expression here. So the commentary will be long and stretch across multiple days for each सूत्र. But once we get a hang of this core, navigating the rest of the सूत्र will become a breeze.

PA: It’s all brilliantly described and really very detailed 😊👍👍

JS: Pain caused by flux in गुण – Sir, can you explain this much with some example or in simpler form?

While detailed knowledge can be obtained by reading texts like तत्वबोध, let me share using a simple example. The same Aata can be used to make a Puri, Chapati, Bhatura….. Similarly, the core raw material is called as प्रधान or मूल प्रकृति that is used to construct the physical universe. While the core raw material to make Puri, etc., is Aata, we add other ingredients (more water, less oil, salt, Jeera, etc) which bring taste, colour and variety into Aata. Similarly, variety in the universe is brought about by गुण (सत्व, रजस् & तमस्) thereby bringing colour, heat, liquidity, solidity, etc to the primary raw material. गुण is also the reason for differences in the variety of people as well as differing moods of us on a daily basis. गुण mix of the universe as well as of us is constantly changing owing to differing कर्म done by people from time to time.

Now, who decides what shape Aata must take on a particular day – it is the cook who prepares food as per the needs of the people who eat. Similarly, it is the collective कर्म of all lives that determines the particular shape a universe takes. Thus, to ensure that the collective कर्म gets a platform to fulfil its urges, the three गुण is the ingredients that are used to create the diverse variety that enables each of the life form to fulfill its respective urges.

A cook has to however change the food menu daily driven by changing tastes of the customers. So while he uses the same raw materials, he varies the spices and shapes in which food is prepared to cater to changing tastes. Similarly, it is not just collective कर्म alone at the time of creation that determines the shape of the universe, universe changes shape daily owing to changing कर्म of its inhabitants. Thus, गुण combination that applies today to experience the universe will keep on changing as long as the collective कर्म of people keeps on changing daily. And to live in a universe that keeps changing its variety on a daily basis makes it difficult for anyone alive to keep coping up with these changes – it wears out its inhabitants. That is the idea being expressed here. Hopefully, this helps….

हेयं दुःखम् अनागतम् ।।१६।।

हेयं – to be avoided, दुःखम्, अनागतम् – yet to come. 

दुःखम् that has yet to be manifest is to be avoided. 

How? Over to next सूत्र

द्रष्टृदृश्ययो: संयोगे हेयहेतु: ।।१७।।

द्रष्टृ – of the seer, दृश्यय: – of the seen, संयोग: – conjunction, हेय – to be avoided, हेतु: – the cause 

The conjunction between the seer and that which is seen is the cause (of suffering) to be avoided

Let me start with a thought-example. Let us suppose a person is crossing the road and a truck comes and hits him. Now despite the truck hitting another person who is physically separate from my body, my body develops reactions – heartbeat may become rapid, tears may be shed or body may faint. My involvement with the दुर्घटना did not stop at merely being aware of it – why should my body experience these physical reactions when it is untouched directly by the दुर्घटना? And had the truck stopped just before hitting, my body may experience exhilaration. Whether trauma or exhilaration, the event may get added my स्मृति for the rest of my life. Now, imagine further that a violent terrorist who escapes from police custody is struck by the same truck and killed, our चित्त will also experience reactions but these will differ from what we experience in earlier example. Why do reactions differ for a similar-looking दुर्घटना?

It is पुरुष that makes awareness of the दुर्घटना possible. But this awareness then impacts my चित्त (mind, heart, eyes, memory, etc) in varied ways. Note the separation between pure awareness of the event as against the information present within चित्त that brings differing reactions on the चित्त. The संस्कार within the चित्त defines reactions / experience which are also imprinted on the चित्त. Should the पुरुष not experience the reaction of compassion on the death of an innocent person or relief at the death of a violent terrorist? One must note that what is natural to चित्त is not “natural” to पुरुष. Note that a पुरुष that is free knows all. So a योगी who knows all has full access to the प्रारब्धकर्म and the कर्माशय of another person – so when a दुर्घटना happens or one narrowly escapes, both do not cause a surprise . Awareness within a योगी just looks on without getting entangled in reactions just as a terrorist death by hanging does not throw us in a state of depression.

Is being disentangled a cold and indifferent state? How can it be so? Note that for a पुरुष, being in आनन्द is a natural state. So if there is a match between England and Australia, we enjoy the game and remain joyful since we are detached from the team or its players. In life too, Awareness remains joyful and just watches hundreds of संस्कार playing themselves out since the law of कर्म remains eternally working as long as individuals identify themselves with their चित्त. It is also able to see that only bodies are born or die but the जीव within these bodies is eternal. But feelings of pride, joy, anger, fear, greed, revulsion, panic, etc are not part of awareness – they happen in चित्त. But somehow sometime, these two got entangled. And it is this entanglement that we are trying to extricate ourselves from and revert to our natural state of आनन्द. And this can happen if and when we stop identifying with the limited चित्त through which alone we are seeing the world just as a lion raised by goats misidentifies itself as a goat.

HB: Reminded me of animation of Lambert by Walt Disney … I think when the time is right  … we realize our true self

द्रष्टृदृश्ययो: संयोगे हेयहेतु: ।।१७।।

द्रष्टृ – of the seer, दृश्यय: – of the seen, संयोग: – conjunction, हेय – to be avoided, हेतु: – the cause 

The conjunction between the seer and that which is seen is the cause (of suffering) to be avoided

The द्रष्टृ, the Seer who is the पुरुष, cognizes the world through बुद्धि. बुद्धि, as we discussed earlier is the subtlest aspect within our चित्त (followed by मनस्, प्राण & इंद्रय). बुद्धि is adjacent to the पुरुष in the sense of being the first interface between the awareness of the पुरुष and the world of प्रकृति and its effects. What is the “Seen” or दृश्य? All objects and situations of the world present themselves to बुद्धि. These objects act like magnets attracting the awareness of पुरुष owing to its proximity to बुद्धि. And on account of seeing the objects, the पुरुष becomes like their master and the objects of experience become, as it were, the property of पुरुष (Seer) even though they do not exist within पुरुष (just as the phone we use becomes “our” phone even though phone is separate from me). Though different and external to पुरुष, these objects as if take on the consciousness of the पुरुष, become animated or acquire a potency due to reflecting the consciousness of पुरुष (the “observer” assigns a value to the object which is not intrinsic to the object). This association (संयोग) between the two is the cause of दुःख that needs to be avoided.

वाचस्पति says that बुद्धि is moulded by sense objects and takes on their traits like liquid copper takes on the shape of the mould it is poured into. बुद्धि is an inert substance and is transformed by the input transmitted through the senses. It becomes animated only by the consciousness of the पुरुष (just as a robot is animated by software within). If this connection between पुरुष & बुद्धि is not made, the knowable cannot be known (objects cannot be experienced). However, if the instruments of knowledge (senses, mind, etc.) are faulty, they will present a distorted image to the बुद्धि . And since awareness of पुरुष pervades the बुद्धि, the क्लेश within the चित्त (faulty) presents objects to the awareness within पुरुष who thus gets a distorted view of the world within बुद्धि. It is due to संयोग between the two that the consciousness of पुरुष becomes aware of the transformed बुद्धि and through it, all objects of experience.

If the state of बुद्धि is undisturbed सत्व, it appears as if पुरुष is happy, if सत्व is disturbed by रजस् & तमस्, it appears as if पुरुष is suffering. Either way, neither state is ultimately the actual state of पुरुष but of बुद्धि and मनस् with which the पुरुष is misidentified. Pleasure & pain, in of themselves are unconscious traits of बुद्धि; it is only when they are perceived by the conscious self that “I am happy” or “I am sad” becomes a conscious state of awareness. पुरुष is changeless and actionless; it is the eternal subject, and pain can reside only as an object (pain is an object of experience). When one sees water on a leaf, water does not change the leaf even though they contact each other since their properties are different. Likewise, changing states of बुद्धि do not change पुरुष even though there is संयोग between them.

A complex question is discussed by वाचस्पति मिश्र – is relationship between पुरुष & बुद्धि an innate relationship (just as that of eyes and power of seeing)? If one cannot exist without the other, then there can be no scope for मुक्ति since one can never transcend बुद्धि if it is an innate part of पुरुष. So both have to be separable entities (just as a person and a kitchen knife used by him) despite having a संयोग with one another. Now to the question as to the time from when the संयोग begins, most Indic schools posit a view that this connection is beginning-less. Why so? चित्त exists because of क्लेश & कर्म and कर्म also exists only because चित्त is present. And since the mind with its innate क्लेश exists only for the पुरुष, चित्त also exists eternally. Thus, the संयोग between पुरुष and चित्त is also described as beginning-less. Meaning that चित्त is also an eternal substance but its hold on पुरुष need not be eternal. Thus, the Indic schools also state that while the संयोग is beginning-less, it can be ended once पुरुष decouples itself from प्रकृति. So if you did not understand this clearly, nor did I 😂😂

प्रकाशक्रियास्थितिशीलं भूतेन्द्रियात्मकम् भोगापवर्गार्थं दृश्यम् ।।१८।।

प्रकाश – illumination, क्रिया – activity, स्थिति – inertia, शीलं – having the nature of, भूत – elements, इन्द्रिय – senses, आतमकम् – having the nature of, भोग – experience, अपवर्ग – liberation, अर्थं – object, दृश्यम् – the knowable

That which is knowable has the nature of illumination, activity and inertia. It consists of the senses and its elements, and exists for the purpose of (providing) either liberation or experience (to पुरुष).

One of the most profound सूत्र conveys here that everything in the universe (internal & external) is गुणमय (infested with गुण). गुण is like the material that moulds every “substance” seen as real in the universe. Based on our own गुण, we get drawn or withdrawn from everything in the universe. Every engagement with an object or another person can thus become a route for either अपवर्ग (liberation) or भोग (experience). Using विवेक, one can separate the external manifestation of every person and object, see through every such “substance” and move towards one’s freedom or be under the impression that the “substance” is real, enjoy it and thus become bound.

The दृष्यम् is the manifest world. Key ingredient of दृष्यम् are the गुण viz सत्व, रजस् & तमस्. It is the गुण that brings diversity in दृष्यम्. What is the purpose of existence of दृष्यम्? There are only two – one for भोग (experience) and two for अपवर्ग (liberation). So a question may come – भोग & अपवर्ग are relevant from the point of or are constructs of बुद्धि only and why are these attributed to पुरुष? Says व्यास – this is so because it is पुरुष who has the experience of fruits just as victory of a soldier is attributed to their chief and it is the chief who faces victory or defeat.

हरिहरानन्द describes सत्व as the knowledge or awareness aspect of any entity such as tree’s impulse towards source of light; रजस् as factors that cause activity or motion such as tree’s growth towards source of light and तमस् as when any potentiality is retained or stored such as when sap descends on the roots in winter and stored there (or hibernation in animals). These गुण manifest all reality whether as ग्रहण (instrument of cognition such as ear), ग्राह्य (object of cognition such as sound) – everything other than पुरुष is composed of गुण. सत्व aspect of ear manifests when it makes the sound known, रजस् aspect is represented by the ear’s nervous impulse excited by vibration while तमस् by energy stored in its nerves and muscles. And ultimately, if seeing, hearing, etc are possible, it is the गुण that act as agents that make connections possible. गुण are always in a state of flux as long as the world is manifest and their nature is to assert themselves in various proportions and then ebb away, thus giving rise to ever changing world of manifest forms.

Perception, memory, deliberation, critical reasoning, knowledge of truth, determination or any cognitive functioning are all existing in बुद्धि but superimposed on पुरुष. As long as the awareness of पुरुष remains focussed on and is erroneously identified with बुद्धि and its manifestations, पुरुष remains as if bound by that connection. During training, a donkey is bound by chains in initial period and later, even after the donkey is unchained, it remains there as if bound to the place. Bondage is thus a state of mind, a product of बुद्धि and not the actual condition of पुरुष. Mind exists only till the goal of पुरुष is not realized. अपवर्ग is the state of पुरुष after the mind has eliminated its own क्लेश and ceased to impose itself on पुरुष.

Some more comments on the सूत्र

Every object or person is either for us to have भोग with them or for our अपवर्ग. We can look at any object as an “independent substance” and have an experience with it. Or we can see it as a substance exerting a certain force on us and thereby take measures to be alert in not getting carried away by such a force – if we do this, the object loses its “substance” and we are free to engage with it as the situation demands.

So if we see a गुलाबजामुन as an independent substance having “value” and if we salivate to taste it – that is भोग. Or if I am a diabetic, I feel a sense of frustration and anger – that too is भोग. Or as a diabetic, I develop a distaste for it – that too is भोग. But the very same substance can be a cause of अपवर्ग – we can watch it to watch ourselves. If our reactions are like those for भोग, we can prevent the taste force to bind us. And with no force carrying us away, we may either eat it when served to us or we may not eat if our stomach is full – but without the accompanying salivation or frustration. Such an attitude makes a गुलाबजामुन an object for अपवर्ग.

Take the pursuit of career or our so-called ambition or use of skills that we possess. What vocation we pursue is incidental – observe the quality of our संयोग with objects of प्रकृति – whether it is of the nature of भोग or of अपवर्ग. Note that whether one does the role of a CEO, गुरू in an आश्रम, a butcher, a prostitute or an NGO, there are only two ways to approach any vocation. If we approach for भोग, we will be be bound and sink further into संसार (role of गुरु in an आश्रम or an NGO will also end up as a भोग if we are not careful). But when we approach any vocation only to observe our own selves, then we are a साधक or a योगी. If our sole focus in all situations is to do धर्म, it means our lifestyle will take us towards अपवर्ग. It is such a योगदृष्टि that must be applied both to learn about ourselves and others. It is not the type of vocation that makes it noble. As a साधक, what inspires us are those who pursue vocation for अपवर्ग while those for भोग may not have much to teach us even though they may very skilled in a प्राकृतिक sense.

Says श्रीकृष्ण in the 10th chapter of the श्रीमदभगवद्गीता – I am the light of the Sun, I am the liquid aspect of the water, I am the moving aspect of air, I am the solidity of the mountain, etc. The only real substance anywhere in the universe, the only सत् पदार्थ, is ईश्वर. But what do we see? Solidity viz तमस्, movement viz रजस्, light and transparency viz सत्व – but these are गुण or forces that exert their potency on me owing to my own गुण orientation. What we see and call as independent substances are merely गुण-mix having shape, colour and variety. When I inflict violence of another, I see the other’s form as the real substance and this happens owing to my own तमस् nature. But when I see the other as mine (say our child), even if we hit the child, we are careful since our intent is only to bring गुण modification of the child but not to damage myself (in the child).

When I see नदी as देवता, I will have a bath at home and then bathe in गंगा but if I see नदी as a भोगवस्तु (as matter in the form of water), I may not have any concern if I soil it by spitting, washing clothes, discharging effluents, etc. Presence of dirty rivers means a high level of तमस् is present in our own minds. However, if we see a पर्वत (प्रकृति) as ईश्वर (गोवर्धन), Sun, Moon, Trees as ईश्वर, then everything in प्रकृति becomes a way for our अपवर्ग. Even my car, my yacht, my luxury house, etc are with me because my own गुण orientation (primarily रजस्) which attracted these to me. But when I am oriented towards अपवर्ग, while I will accept and use these goodies with respect, I will not be shaken if and when they part ways. Similarly, I like (or dislike) certain people owing to my own गुण-mix – one may say that ईश्वर has made my connection with them so as to sort out my own गुण orientations. Know others to know yourself and then work to free yourself from forces that bind you. Instead, if my engagement with them deepens my गुण orientation, it will become a case of opportunity lost and our भोग tendencies will merely deepen.

India is a rare country having a large collection of tales/ legends made of characters who have chosen the अपवर्ग मार्ग (and not just rulers or queens). We remember a robber turned ऋषि (वाल्मीकि), warriors (राम/ गुरू गोबिंद सिंह), butcher (from व्याधगीता), a prostitute (पिङ्गला from २४ Gurus of दत्तात्रेय), a weaver (कबीर), a beautiful girl (आंडाल), a scholar (आदिशंकर), a rich man (जनक), kings (विक्मादित्य, भोजराजा, महावीर, हरिश्चन्द्र), a nomadic singer (मीरा), young boy (संत ज्ञानेश्वर), singer (त्यागराजा or अन्नमय or तुकाराम), a politician/ warrior (श्रीकृष्ण), a miser (पुरन्दरदास), a poet (कालीदास), nobodies who have zero attainment in प्राकृतिक realm (रमण, रामाकृष्ण परमहंस)… I can go on and on. Their vocation or family status or success (on whatever parameters are applied) in life is incidental, what matters is how they viewed life. And while Indologists dug out names like अशोक or चंद्रगुप्त मौर्य or समुद्रगुप्त, their attainments were प्राकृतिक only, their memory had not been considered worth preserving by Indians since they lived a life of भोग. So what kind of life are we leading? For भोग or for अपवर्ग? 😊

विशेषाविशेषलिङ्गमात्रालिऩङ्गानि गुणपर्वाणि ।।१९।।

विशेष – particularised, अविशेष – not particularised, लिङ्ग – distinctive, मात्र – only, just, अलिङ्गानि – not distinctive, गुण – modes, influences, पर्वाणि – stages

The different stages of गुण qualities consist of particularised, not-particularised, distinctive and not-distinctive.

To know what पुरुष is, one must know what पुरुष is not viz प्रकृति. Four aspects of प्रकृति are given here – core components of प्रकृति are either विशेष (specific or particular), अविशेष (non-specific), लिङ्गं (distinguishing mark) and अलिङ्गं (not distinguishable). Here, पतंजलि assumes the reader to possess ज्ञान of the process of पञ्चीकृतम् which describes how the diversity in the universe has come about. We discussed earlier that triggered by accumulated universal कर्म at the end of previous कल्प, मूल प्रकृति (primal raw material of nature) is baked with त्रिगुण and what gets projected are initial evolutes viz तन्मात्रा (sound, touch, etc) and final evolutes being पञ्चभूत (space, air, etc). Further baking of these evolutes with one another forms compounds (viz the physical universe at an objective level and physical life forms at a subjective level). The order that creation takes within an individual is बुद्धि, अहंकार, मन, ज्ञानेन्द्रिय & कर्मेन्द्रिय.

Thus, विशेष refers to final evolutes of प्रकृति viz end products that do not produce further evolutes out of themselves. अविशेष refers to substances that produce other evolutes. Thus, आकाश, वायु, अग्नि, आप & पृथ्वी represent विशेष and तन्मात्रा viz शब्द, स्पर्श, रस, रूप & गंध represent अविशेष. विशेष also includes पञ्च-कर्मेन्द्रिय (hands, legs, etc), पञ्च-ज्ञानेन्द्रिय (eyes, ears, etc) & मनस् while अविशेष also includes अहंकार.

Key principle in अध्यात्म is that what is व्यक्त (visible) has emerged from अव्यक्त (unmanifest). So a व्यक्त कर्म (external action) has come out of a thought which in turn has come from an अव्यक्त संस्कार. And while thought is not व्यक्त to a visible eye, there is a mark or symbol with which we can recognize a thought. लिङ्गं stands for mark or symbol and बुद्धि (at an individual level) is expressed as लिङ्गं because, as per विज्ञानभिक्षु, it marks all other effects in the world, ie, everything emerges from बुद्धि. Just as root of a tree is closest to the seed of the tree from which emerges the trunk, branches, leaves, etc., बुद्धि (at individual level) and महत् (at cosmic level) are designated as लिङ्गं. बुद्धि thus refers to a state of pure beingness viz neither existence nor non-existence (like a mind awakened from sleep but prior to the activity that occurs in the ego state)

बुद्धि (which is a transformation of सत्व) in turn emerges from a deeper अव्यक्त viz called as मूल प्रकृति (at cosmic level) and अविद्या (at individual level). This is the अलिङ्गं since it is without any sign – the सांख्य school states that this state cannot be perceived but only be inferred (अनुमानित) and is thus called as an inferred one. While अलिङ्गं aspect of प्रकृति is eternal, its subsequent evolutes viz बुद्धि, अहंकार, etc are temporary manifestations or permutations of प्रकृति. “If देवदत्त cows die and he becomes poor, his poverty is on account of the death of his cows and not his own death”, says व्यास – similarly, there is no birth or death for पुरुष, simply there is constant mutation and transformation of गुण of प्रकृति within which पुरुष appears to be embedded. Whatever happens in व्यक्त प्रपञ्च, whether the grossest level of sensual indulgence or most subtle level of discrimation between बुद्धि & पुरुष is ultimately taking place in बुद्धि and its evolutes. पुरुष however remains a distinct entity separate from बुद्धि & its evolutes.

II.28 of the Gita says “All beings are अव्यक्त in their start, व्यक्त in the interim and अव्यक्त in their end”. What is eternal is प्रकृति (as Chapter 7 of the Gita notes) and while it is both अलिङ्ग & लिङ्ग, both are called as non-existent by व्यास since गुण are quiet or latent in this state, devoid of effects and cannot thus fulfill the objectives of पुरुष viz either भोग or अपवर्ग / मोक्ष. Just as seed, sprout, shoot and tree are non-different from each other, so is मूल प्रकृति, बुद्धि, अहंकार, इंद्रिय, etc. And all of them are merely there to serve their master viz the पुरुष. While all this may seem way too technical, a key lesson we may take from this सूत्र is that any discovery we make about atoms, sub-atomic particles, waves, etc., will come under प्रकृति only (maybe of the अविशेष & अलिङ्ग kind) – anything that can be “known” comes under प्रकृति since “knowing” is the domain of बुद्धि. पुरुष is not something that can be “known” – so what is पुरुष? More tomorrow.

HB: Reminded me of Weick work ‘What theory is Not, theorizing is’. When west were struggling and living a barbaric life, Indian culture was richly developed in knowledge creation, art , science , music etc etc

UV: We are now in a zone where we need to discuss a little more about state of पुरुष. It is not enough to criticize our present state without sharing a positive idea of what being in a पुरुष state entails. I will be sharing (long) notes over next three days.

PA: Yes although nobody can really understand and fully describe Purush as everything will fall short of trying to describe yet one can atleast be motivated to see what the end result one can have by separating Prakriti from Purush and changing the direction of our underlying intentions while interacting with the External objects. As you said it’s not the what one does matters but it’s the how one does the same action that matters that either binds us or liberates us

Commentary on शिवसूत्र by Jaideva

Imagine yourself sitting in a beautiful island all alone. You are experiencing a mood of being in bliss. And in this blissful mood, out comes a beautiful song. Where did the song come from? It came from within you. Now that the song has been sung, is the song separate from you? No – a song is merely a verbal expression of an inner state of bliss. You remain an ocean of bliss and whether you sing the song or do not, you remain blissful. There is an aspect of us that seeks to go inward and experience the bliss of ourselves in a state of ध्यान. There is another aspect that is dynamic and seeks to express outward – the side of expansion. Both inward and outward modes are merely different ways of experiencing bliss. Just as an artist creates a work of art or in a sculpture and feels joyful just by seeing it again and again, such an experience of joy does not need presence of fame or wealth or praise by others. It is non-relational expression of joy experienced within oneself – say the joy of a mother looking at a child whom she has delivered. The work of art is not separate from the artist just as a mother does not see the child as separate from her (at least for a few years 😊).

शिवसूत्र names the Ultimate Reality as चित्. It is non-relational consciousness. It is the changeless principle of all changes. In it, there is no distinction of subject and object, of “I” and “This”. It is the Supreme Self surveying Itself. It is called as प्रकाश-विमर्शय. प्रकाश is the Eternal Light without which nothing can appear. It is शिव. विमर्श is शक्ति, the स्वभाव of शिव. It is, so to speak, the mirror in which शिव realizes His own grandeur, power and beauty. विमर्श is the कर्तृत्व शक्ति (the power of doer-ship) of शिव. Mere प्रकाश cannot be the nature of Reality. Even diamond is प्रकाश, but the diamond does not know itself as प्रकाश. विमर्श is that aspect of प्रकाश by which It knows itself. That self-knowledge is an activity. विमर्श betokens that activity. If Ultimate Reality were merely प्रकाश and not also विमर्श, it would be entirely powerless and inert. It is this I-consciousness of Ultimate Reality that is responsible for the सृष्टि, स्थिति , and लय of the universe. चित् is conscious of Itself as चिद्रूपिणी शक्ति is called as विमर्श. विमर्श has been named variously as पराशक्ति, स्वातंत्रय, ऐश्वर्य, कर्तृत्व, सार, हृदय, स्पन्द.

It is the स्वभाव or very nature of Ultimate Reality to manifest. Creativity is of the very essence of Divinity. If Ultimate Reality did not manifest, it would not be Self or consciousness, but not-Self, something like a jar. शिवसूत्र therefore states that the Ultimate Reality or परमशिव is प्रकाश-विमर्शमय. In that state, “I” and “this” are in an undivided entity. “I” is the प्रकाश aspect. “This” or its consciousness of Itself is the विमर्श aspect representing स्वातंत्रय or unimpeded soveriegn power or शक्ति. विमर्श is not content-less but actually contains all that is to be. Let us now get into creation as conceived by शिवसूत्र

परमशिव has two aspects – transcental and creative, the latter is referred to as शिवतत्व. We convey here five तत्व that represent the creative aspect of शिव that keeps happening on a continuing basis. शिवतत्व is the initial creative movement of परमशिव. शक्तितत्व is the energy of शिव, not separate from Him, His “I-consciousness”, His intentness to create. In शक्तितत्व, the आनन्द aspect of the Supreme is predominant – both are inseparable.

The third one is called as सदाशिव तत्व. The इच्छा to affirm the “This” side of universal experience is सदाशिव. The experience of this stage is “I am This” but “I” remains a predominant side and “this” is only a hazy experience. The Ideal Universe is experienced as an indistinct something in the depth of consciousness. In this experience, both subject and object are consciousness where consciousness becomes perceptible to Itself. The next stage of Divine experience is that where “This” side of the total experience becomes a little more defined. Called as ईश्वर-तत्व or ऐश्वर्य -तत्व, this is a stage where ज्ञान is prominent and the experience of ईश्वर is “This am I”.

Last is the सद्विद्या-तत्व where “I” and “This” side of experience are equally balanced like two pans of an equally held balance and क्रिया-शक्ति is predominant. At this stage, the “I” and “This” are recognized at this state with such equal clarity that while both “I” and “This” are still identified, they can be clearly distinguished in thought. The experience in this state may be called as diversity in unity, ie., while the “This” is clearly distinguishable from “I”, it is still felt to be part of the “I” or Self.

Reality may thus be seen as dance of शिव & शक्ति engaging in the eternal dance of आनन्द – that is our truth. Up-to the last stage, all experiences are ideal, ie., in the form of an idea, a manifestation in which the स्वरूप or the real nature of the Divine is not yet covered up. The Divine knows Itself better and better as It progresses throughout these four stages. One wonders whether one attains पुरुष state, it is this state of experiencing that one is always in? Whether is a transcendent (inward-looking) or in a creative manner (external-looking), one is continually knowing Itself better and better and the experience of आनन्द gets richer and richer. Our current state is however different where the Divine (or our पुरुष reality) is veiled from us. अविद्या takes over, a separation happens within पुरुष, an externalised universe comes about making us live limited lives. To be continued tomorrow.

What is the core idea of religion? It is – what we see in life or universe is nothing else but magnification of or a sub-optimal expression of the initial order of things. What we see today is an effect of a cause that preceded us which was in turn preceded by another cause leading all the way up-to the original cause. We call this original cause as God or Truth or Reality. All religion does is to elaborate on the components of the original cause (गुण, सत्, चित्, etc) so that whatever we see today can be traced to the original cause. Nothing new can happen in creation. Creation merely moves like a river that flows and may become a waterfall or a big river or an ocean or vapour or cloud, etc but all these variants are conversion of the original substance itself.

If we “exist”, original cause also exists. If we seek happiness, original cause also seeks happiness. If we cognize, original cause also cognizes. If we seek experience like, original cause also seeks experiences. If we often withdraw into a shell, original cause also must have a force of that kind. If we are aligned to the purpose of the original cause, we are good. If we are misaligned, we suffer. It is as simple as that. If one reads religion with this mindset, we will connect with its message. Or we will get lost in verbiage, Nastika-Astika debates,, good & bad, heaven & hell nonsense and miss the wood for the trees. We need got trainers as it is the most engaging subject that most form the basis of all else that we learn. Unfortunately such teachers are rare. And we are where we are.

पुरुष by स्वामी कृष्णानन्द

The pure seer or experiencer is consciousness or पुरुष. It is absolutely uncontaminated by features that are extraneous, yet this pure seer principle seems to get associated with the faculties of perception. While the world of objects is made up of atoms (or sub-atomic particles), पुरुष is not made up of anything. Objects in the world is made up of things that are dissimilar in character just as the atoms that make the object do not constitute the qualities of the object. The colour, shape and sensory reaction that an object evokes cannot be found in the atoms that are the basic essences of the object. पुरुष is not made up of any sub-parts and cannot thus be seen as a compound of various combinations unlike objects (and people). It cannot be imagined by the mind, seen with eyes or comprehended by the senses. It is not capable of coming into contact with anything or set in relation to anything other than itself. It defies definitions – logically indefinable, sensorily ungraspable, mentally unthinkable and intellectually incomprehensible.

One may say – electrons are also not divisible. But while electrons may not be divisible, these can be related with other electrons each having its own path, velocity and position in respect of the arrangement among themselves in the formation of an atom. Electrons can be identified with other electrons meaning that they are finite as there are “others” outside their identity. However, पुरुष can only be identified with infinity since finititude is the trait of divisible bodies since they can be located in time and space. पुरुष is not in space, it transcends space and is therefore vaster than space. पुरुष transcends time and it is therefore present in past, present and future. That which is spaceless is infinite and that which is timeless is eternal.

Let us take awareness within us. We are aware of our body and the world using our senses. Due to पुरुष within us, we have a means to connect with external objects and aware of them conditionally in time and space. But the awareness of पुरुष does not operate through conditioning of a body or mind. When we do self-analysis, we have a pre-judgement that we have formed about ourselves (viz through prism of body and mind), we wrongly assume पुरुष can also be known like this. “I think, therefore I am” is not how a योगी views ज्ञान, instead, his lens states “I am, therefore I think”. Thinking is a subsequent arrangement that comes into being with respect to external relations but there is a prior being which is the reason for and condition for the processes of thought in respect of objects. Our definition of knowledge viz nothing else but comprehension of characteristics of an external objects by means of senses and mind cannot be applied to पुरुष. Just as senses cannot perceive the मनस्, मनस् cannot perceive बुद्धि, similarly, बुद्धि cannot perceive पुरुष which is most subtle of all.

While we can know mind which undergoes changes, exists in time and space, how can we comprehend पुरुष which is changeless, infinite and eternal? How can finite ever know the infinite? Also, one may be thinking that if पुरुष has no parts, then it must be content-less but this too is wrong since it is more solid than heaviest of objects and inclusive of all the contents we can think of. It includes within itself all contents of experience and all objects that can ever be conceived of. This is because if some objects and experiences lie outside पुरुष, the पुरुष too becomes finite which is not possible. It is a पूर्णम. If पुरुष is associated only with the process of “knowing” (चैतन्यम्) and not “being” (सत्), then पुरुष may become असत् (non-being) and thus would become non-existent – but this cannot be since “being” is what gives value to anything. This being-ness of पुरुष is eternally aware of Itself and since the “Itself” includes everything, पुरुष is aware of everything. So it is सत् (existing and in a complete manner), it is चित् (it is the only Knower) and its essential trait is आनन्द.

द्रष्टा दृशिमात्र: शुद्धोsपि प्रत्ययानुपश्य ।।२०।।

द्रष्टा – the Seer, दृशि – power of seeing, मात्र: – only, शुद्ध:- pure, अपि – also, प्रत्यय – images of the mind, अनुपश्य – witnesses

The seer is the Absolute Knower. Although pure, modifications (of बुद्धि) are witnessed by Him as an Onlooker.

The translations of this सूत्र vary from text to text – I have taken the translation given by हरिहरानन्द. पुरुष is the only Seer (or one who experiences). पुरुष sees only बुद्धि as the object of Its attention. बुद्धि exists solely for the purpose of पुरुष while पुरुष exists for Its sake only. बुद्धि is inert, unconscious and composed of त्रिगुण while पुरुष is the active spectator, source of चैतन्यम् (consciousness) and beyond त्रिगुण. To use a crude analogy, बुद्धि may be seen as the software that processes the data but is, on its own, not capable of witnessing the data or its output but merely processes the data for the programmer. Just as the water appears luminous when the reflection of the Sun falls on it or an iron ball takes on the property of heat when thrown into fire, so does बुद्धि appear conscious owing to its proximity to the पुरुष.

So पुरुष is witnessing its own reflection in the बुद्धि. The misidentification of पुरुष with बुद्धि transformed or agitated by त्रिगुण, the objects of this world, is the cause of bondage. Its freedom, says विज्ञानभिक्षु, cannot come about through conventional means of ज्ञान viz senses, mind and बुद्धि, since its nature is different from these. It can come about only through its own nature. Its own nature is pure knowledge, IE, exclusive awareness of its own self, rather than objects of प्रकृति. हरिहरानन्द says that existence of पुरुष is evidenced by the fact that the sense of “I” is constant at all times. When I say “I know something”, the thing one knows is whatever gets presented to It by बुद्धि and while what is presented keeps changing, the “I” always remain constant. Even the idea of “I know myself” where the “myself” keeps changing pertains to ever-changing बुद्धि throughout life. As soon as this I begins to know something – anything- then the misidentification of बुद्धि with पुरुष, erroneous notion that पुरुष is बुद्धि has occurred since all knowable things are products of प्रकृति.

The misidentification of बुद्धि with पुरुष is the product of अहंकार or ego. And while बुद्धि resembles पुरुष to some extent and vice versa, बुद्धि appears to be animated because it is energized by चैतन्यम् of पुरुष and the unchanging पुरुष appears to be ever-changing and mutable because its चैतन्यम् pervades the ever-changing and mutable बुद्धि. Like an echo, says विज्ञानभिक्षु, a sound that emanates from the source and then bounces off an object to return to the source in a somewhat distorted fashion, the चेतना of पुरुष bounces back from बुद्धि in the form of a distorted reflection and thus पुरुष becomes aware of the disturbed बुद्धि along with its भाव of अविद्या.

PA: So again the key point is Buddhi as such having no nature of itself but it keep taking the nature based on interactions with the objects and gunas. It is under the influence of the 3 gunas and transforms into something else those states. Now as soon as we experience the state of Rajo and Tamo ( attraction or aversion ) then we really should wait till this passes by and we return to sato peaceful kind and compassionate state again. Since all the Information is stored in our Chitta so the very fact that we experience these strong emotions is because of the memory stored and to break these strong reactions we have to try not to react immediately. If we react we get a distorted image/reality of the world and this is the path of bondage again. In fact we ourselves have to use our emotional and Mental state to liberate ourselves.