Today we move into Yoga Sūtra 2.21, a verse that expands our understanding of the relationship between the Seer (puruṣa) and the Seen (dṛśya). The sūtra states:
tad-artha eva dṛśyasya ātmā
Translation: The nature of the seen exists solely for the sake of the Seer.
This is a profound teaching. At first glance, it might seem to suggest a kind of self-centered worldview—that everything exists purely for “me.” But that’s not what Patañjali is pointing toward. This isn’t a justification for narcissism or spiritual selfishness. In fact, when we interpret this sutra through the lens of the kleśas—particularly rāga (attachment to pleasure) and dveṣa (aversion to pain)—we begin to see how easily the ego hijacks this teaching. When the mind moves into “I, Me, Mine!” mode, we fall back into the trap of conditioned responses, reinforcing patterns of grasping and avoiding.
Instead, the invitation here is subtler and more sacred. This sūtra introduces the word ātmā, which links us directly to the Vedāntic understanding of Ātman—the innermost Self—and Brahman, the universal reality. In Vedānta, Ātman is the individual soul, and Brahman is the unchanging, infinite reality. These are ultimately not separate. This mirrors Sāṅkhya’s model of puruṣa and prakṛti, where puruṣa is pure consciousness, and prakṛti is the material world that arises for the experience of the Seer.
So what is the real message of this sutra? It is not that the world should serve our ego’s desires, but that everything in life—every experience, every relationship, every moment of joy and sorrow—is designed to lead us back to our capital-S Self. There is, in essence, a secret sacred place within each of us that the world is helping us uncover. The Seen exists for the Seer not to indulge the ego, but to awaken the spirit.
Importantly, Patañjali never intended this to be a purely theoretical insight. The teachings must be lived. Without practical application, all of this philosophy remains just more citta vṛttis—more whirlpools of thought that distract us from direct experience. As we move forward in this exploration, the question becomes: how do we bring this sutra to life?
Tomorrow, we’ll dive into five key reflections drawn from this sūtra that support practical, conscious living:
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Mindful engagement with the world
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Letting go of attachment to outcomes
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Living with a sense of purpose
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Improving the quality of our relationships
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Using all of this to move toward inner freedom
All of these ideas are rooted in the clarity that comes from seeing the world not as something to conquer or control, but as a sacred mirror for awakening. That’s the deeper gift of Yoga Sūtra 2.21—and we’ll unpack more of it tomorrow.