Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 20

द्रष्टा दृशिमात्रः शुद्धोऽपि प्रत्ययानुपश्यः ॥२०॥

draṣṭā dṛśi-mātraḥ śuddhaḥ api-pratyaya-anupaśyaḥ ||20||

The seer alone sees,
although pure, it observes
through psychic activity.

draṣṭṛ - seer; one who sees, one who sees welldṛśi - seeing; the power of seeingmātrā - being nothing but, simply or merely; only; measure, quantity, sum, size, durationśuddha - pure, cleansed, cleared, clean, clear, free fromapi - even, also, although; very; something more; moreoverpratyaya - psychic activity; cause; conception, assumption, notion, idea; ground, basis, motive or cause of anythinganupaśya - apperceive; one who sees; perceiving; seeing; observes

Commentaries and Reflections

Commentary by T Krishnamacharya:

Draṣṭṛ is one who initiates
and follows what is initiated.”

Commentary by Paul Harvey:

“What we observe is changing,
What we observe with is changing,
Where we observe from is unchanging.”

“An awareness of an
absence of awareness
is in itself an awakening
in awareness of awareness.”

Awareness doesn’t change,
however our awareness of our
experience of awareness does.”