द्रष्टा- Draṣṭā
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Blog author Jayaraman Mahadevan
द्रष्टा- Draṣṭā
Etymology
दृश्+तृच् = द्रष्टा
dṛś+tṛc = draṣṭā
The root here is dṛś. The meaning of the root is prekṣaṇa - to see
The suffix is tṛc. It is used to indicate kartā – the doer.
The suffix is added to the root as per the grammar rule ण्वुल्तृचौ ṇvultṛcau (aṣṭādhyāyī 3.1.133)
So the derivate statement is पश्यति इति द्रष्टा - paśyati iti draṣṭā – the one who sees is the seer.
Lexicon – There are no entries for this term in amarakośa.
Textual occurrences - Yogic texts
Yoga-sūtras
There are four occurrences of the term in this text.
1. 1) तदा द्रष्टुः स्वरूपेऽवस्थानम् ॥ १.३ ॥ tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe'vasthānam .. 1.3 .. –
This is the very third Sūtra of the text. It is stated here that, when in the state of Yoga – one is established in the conscious nature of the draṣṭa.
2. 2) द्रष्टृदृश्ययोः संयोगो हेयहेतुः ॥ २.१७ ॥ draṣṭṛdṛśyayoḥ saṃyogo heyahetuḥ .. 2.17 .. – This is a very important Sūtra where the cause of suffering according to Yoga philosophy is stated. The conjunction of the consciousness (draṣṭā) and matter, the seen ( dṛśya) is the cause of suffering.
3. 3) द्रष्टा दृशिमात्रः शुद्धोऽपि प्रत्ययानुपश्यः ॥ २.२० ॥ draṣṭā dṛśimātraḥ śuddho'pi pratyayānupaśyaḥ .. 2.20 .. – This Sūtra defines draṣṭā as pure awareness/consciousness that still gets reflected in the activities of the mind.
4. 4) द्रष्टृदृश्योपरक्तं चित्तं सर्वार्थम् ॥ ४.२३ ॥ draṣṭṛdṛśyoparaktaṃ cittaṃ sarvārtham .. 4.23 .. – The unique nature of the mind is brought out in this Sūtra. It presents the cause for the Buddhists mistaking the mind as consciousness. In Citta- the reflection of both the consciousness (draṣṭā) and also the objects of world (dṛśya) outside - land. This can be understood by keen observation. Unable to separate the reflection of the consciousness in citta from the citta, Buddhists confuse the Citta to be the consciousness.
Bhagavad-gītā
Two connected expressions are found in this text - draṣṭā & upadraṣṭā.
1. 1) नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति ।
गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ॥ १४.१९ ॥
nānyaṃ guṇebhyaḥ
kartāraṃ yadā draṣṭānupaśyati .
guṇebhyaśca paraṃ vetti madbhāvaṃ so'dhigacchati ॥14.19॥
In this verse the word draṣṭā is used to indicate the keen observer & scholar who observes his mind and consciousness and sees that it is the Guṇas that act and nothing else. By this, the observer (draṣṭā) –is able to see beyond the guṇas and realize the supreme being. It is worth noting that - Ācārya Śaṅkarabhagavatpāda in his commentary – defines draṣṭā – in this verse, as vidvān (scholar). Thus, unlike the Yoga-sūtras here draṣṭā is not used to indicate pure consciousness.
2) उपद्रष्टानुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः ।
परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुषः परः ॥ १३.२२ ॥
upadraṣṭānumantā ca bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ .
paramātmeti cāpyukto dehe'sminpuruṣaḥ paraḥ ॥13.22॥ -
This verse uses the term upadraṣṭā. The consciousness is indicated by this term. Ācārya Śaṅkarabhagavatpāda explains upadraṣṭā as follows - …समीपस्थः सन् स्वयम् अव्यापृतः... samīpasthaḥ san svayam avyāpṛtaḥ... being in close proximity (the consciousness) observes and does not get involved in the actions. This upadraṣṭā of the Gītā is comparable to the draṣṭā of the Yoga-sūtras.
Haṭha-yoga-pradīpikā - The expression or associated expressions are not found in this text.
Observation
It could be observed from the Yogic references that though draṣṭā is a common Sanskrit term that denotes - a person who sees - in the Yoga textual context it refers to the consciousness. And in that sense the word is used in yogasūtra alone. Hence while looking interpreting the term draṣṭāin other Yoga texts even -care has to be exercised in understanding the intended meaning.
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