Yoga Sūtra 2.17:
draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ saṁyogo heya-hetuḥ
English Translation: "The cause of suffering is the association of the seer with the seen."
To truly understand this sūtra, we need to break down its key Sanskrit terms. Draṣṭṛ (द्रष्टृ) means "the seer"—pure awareness, or Puruṣa, the unchanging Self. Dṛśya (दृश्य) means "the seen"—everything that is perceived, including thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Saṁyoga (संयोग) translates to "association" or "misidentification," while heya-hetuḥ (हेयहेतुः) means "the cause of suffering that must be removed."
Patañjali emphasizes a fundamental truth here: suffering arises when Puruṣa, the true Self, becomes entangled with Prakṛti, the ever-changing world of experiences. This idea connects back to Yoga Sūtra 1.3, where Patañjali states that when the fluctuations of the mind are stilled, the seer "abides in their own true nature." But when these fluctuations dominate, we become lost in identification with impermanent things.
In everyday life, this confusion is constant. We mistake ourselves for our thoughts, believing that our passing mental chatter defines us. We identify with our emotions, reacting as if they are fixed rather than transient. We define ourselves by our roles—as parents, teachers, or professionals—forgetting that these are merely aspects of our human experience, not the core of who we are. We cling to attachments, thinking our happiness or worth depends on external factors. This misidentification leads to suffering because everything we attach to is subject to change, loss, and impermanence.
A powerful practice today is to observe your "I AM..." statements. Notice how often you define yourself by temporary conditions: "I am stressed," "I am unworthy," "I am my job." These statements reveal the extent to which we confuse the seer with the seen. But the truth is, you are not your thoughts, emotions, or roles—you are the awareness that observes them.
The key to liberation is to cultivate the ability to witness experience without becoming trapped in it. This is why yoga encourages viveka (discriminative wisdom) and vairāgya (detachment), as introduced in Yoga Sūtra 1.12. By practicing meditation and self-inquiry, we begin to recognize our true nature beyond the ever-shifting waves of the mind.
As we reflect on this wisdom, we leave you with Jeff’s high school motto: Carpe Diem—Seize the Day. But perhaps, in the spirit of the Yoga Sūtras, we might say: Seize the Awareness. Observe, but do not attach. Witness, but do not mistake yourself for the passing clouds of experience.
