Patanjali Yoga Sutra — एकसमये चोभयानवधारणम्॥4.20॥

ekasamaye cobhayānavadhāraṇam॥

The mind can be an instrument or tool for perception and an object of perception; and it cannot know both ‘Puruṣa’ and ‘prakṛti’ simultaneously.

In order to decode this aphorism (4.20), let us dwell upon a scholarly prakaraṇa Grantha Dr̥g Dr̥śya Viveka authored by Swāmi Vidyāraṇya (12th Jagadguru of śriṅgeri śāradā Pīṭham — 14th Century) where it is very interestingly put as under:

रूपं दृश्यं लोचनं दृक् तदृश्यं दृक्तु मानसम्। दृश्या धीवृत्तयस्साक्षी दृगेव न तु दृश्यते॥ ॥दृग् दृश्य विवेक १॥

Meaning: The eye is the seer, the form is the seen. That eye is the seen and the mind is the seer. The witness (sākṣī) alone is the Seer of mind (and its contents) and never the seen.

Look at the trinity (tripuṭi) mentioned in this verse:

1. The object experienced is called ‘experienced’ (object, known, seen, dr̥śya, perceived, prakr̥ti).
2. One who experiences is called ‘experiencer’ (subject, knower, seer, dr̥ṣṭa, sākṣī, witness, perceiver, Consciousness, ātman, Brahman, Puruṣa).
3. The action is called ‘experience’ (knowing, seeing, perception, awareness, darśana).

Thus, in order to have experience or perception, the following conditions are to be satisfied:

a. The Seer and the seen should be different; they should not be one and the same.

b. The Seer is always a Seer; and seen is always a seer. They cannot change their roles.

c. The Seer can never see itself; and the seen also can never see itself.

d. The Seer is sentient (cetana, caitanya, conscious) and seen is insentient (jaḍa, inert).

The three inverse levels mentioned in Dr̥g Dr̥śya Viveka (verse 1) are:

1. When I see a rose, my eye is the subject and rose is the object.
2. But my mind can feel or sense my eye. Hence, the mind is the subject and the eye is the object.
3. But I can understand the state of mind (calm or agitated) and its contents (thoughts, moods, emotions, intellect, memories). Thus, the mind (and its contents) is the object and I am the subject. Here ‘I’ is Consciousness, sākṣī (साक्षात् ईक्षाते इति साक्षी)।

Now with this understanding, decode Patañjali Yogasūtra 4.20:

Though the mind can be an instrument or tool for perception (see 2nd level above) and an object of perception (3rd level above); it cannot know both ‘Puruṣa’ (Subject) and ‘prakṛti’ (object) simultaneously. Further, the mind cannot perceive Puruṣa (de facto Subject) and ‘itself’ simultaneously (because ‘itself’ is also an object). Further, Puruṣa is self-luminous and the mind is shining only because of reflected or borrowed luminosity from Puruṣa. Hence, being eternal and free from modifications, ‘Puruṣa’, the ‘Self’ is always the ‘Seer’, the passive observer (witness, sākṣī). He is the ‘Prabhu’, the Lord of the mind and ever remains aware of fluctuations of the mind (object).

Further, look at the deficiency of mind: One of the laws of physics says, ‘Two things cannot occupy the same place at the same time.’ This rule applies to the mind also. Though the mind appears to be thinking of too many things, a careful analysis shows that, at any particular point in time, only one thought can occupy the mind. Once a particular thought subsides, another thought occupies the mind. However, this change over is so fast that one feels there are multiple thoughts in the mind. This ‘One thought’ principle is a deficiency of the mind. In music 7 seven svaras are there (स रि ग म प द नि). However adept a musician might be, at a given point of time, he can sing only svara; he cannot sing ‘sa’ and ‘ri’ simultaneously; he can sing svaras one after the other. When a svaras are arranged in a particular fashion, one after the other, it is a rāga. Musician can sing these series of svaras one after the other (i.e., rāga). In yogābhyāsa, yogi slows down the mind and thus he can understand the changeover of thoughts. This slowing down process continues and yogi finally stills the mind (cittavṛttinirodhaḥ) by the cessation of thought waves.

Bhagavān says, if the mind is occupied by the objective world (prakṛti), there is no place for Puruṣa in mind and other way is also equally true.

शनैः शनैरुपरमेद् बुद्ध्या धृतिगृहीतया।

आत्मसंस्थं मनः कृत्वा न किञ्चिदपि चिन्तयेत्॥६.२५॥

śanaiḥ śanairuparamed buddhyā dhr̥tigr̥hītayā.

ātmasaṁsthaṁ manaḥ kr̥tvā na kiñcidapi cintayet ॥Gītā 6.25॥

Meaning: Practising gradually, bit by bit, the yogi should learn renunciation and tranquillity and resolve to propel the mind towards Paramātma. Thereafter, he should renounce all other (worldly — prakṛti) thoughts and think of Paramātma only (to achieve eternal peace).

If this is the message of Bhagavān on achieving tranquillity through yogasādhana, does it corroborate with scientific findings? The answer is emphatic ‘YES’! In scientific research, it has been proved beyond doubt that spiritual experiences through Dhyāna are noticeable and measurable organically. (Prof.Dr.K.C.Khare. A study of Electroencephalogram in Meditators. There was a significant decrease in the respiratory rate, heart rate and pulse rate of meditators). It has been largely understood that the pineal gland must be the spiritual center of the brain, experiencing consciousness. During meditation, the pineal gland is stimulated and a chemical called melatonin is produced, which causes complete relaxation and tranquillity.

Aphorisms 4.16 to 4.20 clearly establish the anatomy of the mind and furnish the following details:

1. Mind can be observed and known like any other object in prakṛti. Hence, the mind is an object.

2. Mind is also an instrument or a tool for the Puruṣa to know the prakṛti.

3. Mind is not self-luminous. But Puruṣa is self-luminous. The mind merely reflects the luminosity of Puruṣa and gives an impression that it is self-luminous like Puruṣa (read the analogy of water- filled-buckets) (aphorism 4.19–20)

4. Puruṣa is unchangeable. The mind is subject to all kinds of changes mentioned in aphorism 4.18. It is also variable according to moods as described in aphorism 4.16.

5. Mind cannot know both subject and object simultaneously. In other words, the mind cannot know ‘Puruṣa’ and ‘prakṛti’ concurrently (aphorism 4.20).

6. Mind cannot know ‘Puruṣa’ and ‘itself’ at the same time. Because the mind is part of the objective world (prakr̥ti).

7. Mind is not ‘Perceiver (observer)’ but ‘Perceived (observed)’.

8. Mind is not ‘Seer’. ‘Puruṣa’ is ‘Seer’. But the mind can be either ‘seen’ or a tool for seeing.