other hand, every expansion of consciousness makes him see greater richness, beauty
and significance in everything which is within the range of his perception. Expansion
of consciousness means inclusion of more and more and exclusion of nothing. This
fact is quite clear from what is stated in III-50, III-55, and IV-31.
It will be seen that the four stages of the Gunas are denoted by the predominant
nature of the mental perception and activity which characterize those stages. We are
told how the changes in the Gunas affect the expression of consciousness through them
but we are not given any indication as to the nature of the changes in the Gunas them-
selves. This kind of classification which is based upon the secondary effects of the
changes in the Gunas does not, therefore, throw much further light on the nature of the
Gunas themselves. Since the Gunas lie at the very basis of the manifested Universe
and their roots are embedded in the deepest layers of consciousness their subtle nature
can be realized only in Samadhi (III-45). The intellect can, at best, enable us to gain
only a general idea with regard to their nature and their gross expressions on the low-
est plane.
- The Seer is pure consciousness but though pure, appears to see through
the mind.
After dealing with Drsyam or the objective side of the phenomenal world in II-
18 and 19, Patanjali now tries to give us some idea with regard to the Drasta or the
Seer who is the basis of the subjective side of the phenomenal world. This is a com-
paratively more difficult task because the Purusa according to the Yogic philosophy is
the ultimate Reality hidden behind the phenomenal world in its subjective aspect. Al-
though it is through him that the Prakrti is galvanized into life and cognition takes
place, he always eludes us, because he is always behind the veil, the hidden witness of