Seer, seen, and sight
1. Patanjali’s “Seer” (Draṣṭā)
In Yoga Sūtras (I.3, II.20):
- The seer (draṣṭā) = the pure witnessing consciousness (ātman/puruṣa).
- The seen (dṛśya) = the world of mind, senses, and objects.
- Seeing (darśana) = the process by which awareness engages experience.
For Patanjali, liberation (kaivalya) comes when the seer realizes its distinction from the seen — it is pure, untouched awareness.
2. Christian Trinity Analogy
Some philosophers and mystics (esp. Augustine) described the Trinity as:
- Father = the Knower / Source
- Son (Logos) = the Known / Image
- Holy Spirit = the Love or Process of Knowing (sometimes likened to sight or relation between knower and known)
So it becomes: seer – seen – sight.
3. Islamic Contrast
In Islam, Allah is al-Witr (The One) — unique, without division.
- While Allah is the Knower, the Known, and the Giver of knowledge, this does not imply three hypostases (as in the Trinity).
- Rather, it is unity of attributes in One Being.
- The Qur’an strongly negates the Trinitarian division (Q 4:171, Q 5:73).
So if one uses the metaphor of seer, seen, sight in Islam, it is:
- Allah is the Seer (all-seeing).
- Creation is what is seen (by His will).
- Sight itself is an attribute Allah grants (not a separate divine person).
4. The Link with Patanjali
Patañjali’s “seer” is ātman, an eternal consciousness witnessing the world.
- Similar to Augustine’s model, it seems like a triadic structure (seer–seen–sight).
- But:
- In Yoga, the seer is you (the soul), not God.
- In Christianity, the triad is internal to God’s essence.
- In Islam, the triad collapses back into unity — Allah is beyond all multiplicity, though He creates the relation of seer/seen/sight.
✨ So:
- Patañjali: the seer is the soul — pure, silent witness.
- Christian Trinity: seer, seen, sight = internal relations of God.
- Islam: Allah is al-Witr, One — He sees, He creates the seen, and He grants sight, but all of this is in unity, not hypostatic division.