In a state of yoga the ability to understand the object fully and correctly is apparent. The tendency not to be open to a fresh comprehension and the inability to comprehend are overcome. – T.V.K Desikachar
Drashtuh refers to The Seer beyond the Mind, the ever-present, silent centre of consciousness. The eternal aspect of ourselves, this witness is the eye in the storm of our lives. It weathers the churn of societal, cultural and experiential influences that so heavily impact the way we interpret external and internal stimuli but, unflinchingly, remains unchanged.
This sutra reminds us of the importance of crystal clear perception through the unchanging self. It reminds us that we are not the sum of our thoughts, emotions and past experiences. That though shrouded in the veils of illusion, once the obstacles of the mind are removed, our true essence can shine through.
It requires that we stay open to fresh understanding and unfettered by fixed ideas and judgements - judgements that harden us, making us less permeable to experiencing life in its fullest form, and allowing others the grace to do the same. Unobserved these judgments amount to a state of close-mindedness so absolute we become blind to its very existence. They are the antithesis of expansive living, divide us from our true selves and and cause life to atrophy.
The Seer is then our ever present sentinel. Always there, always watching. Unbound by illusion. A liberated consciousness that was never born and will never die. Through yoga we choose to remember and connect with this Seer. Through inviting presence we come back to true ourselves. Perhaps our old patterns and attachments start to fall way and instead of the drudgery of day-to-day life we witness the miracle of ever changing possibility. We overcome the tendency to get stuck in our ways and to keep others equally boxed in . We free ourselves from mind forged shackles, extrapolate ourselves from misunderstanding, whilst at the same time inviting inquiry and an acceptance that often we simply do not know. Not knowing, this wonderful thing that we have made so shameful in society. But how lovely not to have or need to have all the answers. We accept ourselves and others as ever changing, ever evolving beings and perhaps in doing so avoid future suffering. We awaken to awareness itself.