The One Witness: When Seer, Seen, and Sight Become One
In the luminous depths of Sanatan Dharma, lies a mystical revelation, that the one who sees (Drashta), that which is seen (Drishya), and the process of seeing (Drishti) are not three separate entities, but expressions of the same non-dual Reality. This sublime vision, enshrined in the Upanishadic and Vedantic wisdom, dissolves the boundaries of duality and guides the seeker into the still Centre of Oneness, Brahman(ब्रह्म)
“You are not a spectator in this world; you are the space in which all sight happens.” ~ Adarsh Singh
Drashta, Drishya, Drishti ~ The Sacred Triad
Let’s understand this through the key Sanskrit terms:
Drashta ~ The Seer, the perceiver, the observer, generally considered the Self or Atman.
Drishya ~ The Seen, the object, the world of form and name.
Drishti ~ The Sight or the process of perception.
On the surface, these appear to be three distinct aspects of experience. But Sanatan's wisdom reveals that this trinity emerges from One Source, the Self (Atman), and in essence, they are non-different.
Vedantic Revelation: “All is One”
☗ Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (2.4.14)
“नेह नानास्ति किंचन” ~ “There is no diversity here whatsoever.”
This Mahāvākya (great statement) proclaims that all perception of multiplicity is an illusion (Māyā). The subject-object distinction is an appearance, in reality, only Brahman is.
☗ Māṇḍūkya Kārikā (Gaudapāda’s Non-dual Insight)
"The dreamer, the dream, and the act of dreaming all arise in the same consciousness. Just as in a dream, the one consciousness manifests as the seer, the seen, and the seeing, so too is the waking world."
☗Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (1.4)
“You are the one seer of all, the seen is nothing but you appearing in form.”
This radical teaching deconstructs even the spiritual ego. The Self is not inside the body looking out, it is the space in which both inner and outer appear.
What Happens When the Seer Realizes Itself?
When this truth dawns, the seeker ceases to chase objects, thoughts, or states. One settles into the pure awareness, untouched by what is seen or even the process of seeing. This is Turiya, the Fourth State, beyond waking, dream, and deep sleep.
“The witness does not look at the world, it shines as the world.”
~ Adarsh Singh
The Practical Implication: Living as the One
You no longer identify with the body, the mind, or even the observer ego.
You rest as a pure presence, unchanging, eternal, infinite.
The world becomes a dance of forms in the mirror of consciousness, beautiful, but not binding.
This is not renunciation of life, but realization within life. As the Bhagavad Gita (5.8 - 9) says:
“He who sees, hears, touches, smells, eats, walks, sleeps, breathes… knows truly, ‘I do nothing at all.’”
Dissolving the Triangle
The illusory triangle of:
☗ I am the seer
☗ That is the seen
☗ This is the act of seeing
....melts into a singular field of Consciousness, the Supreme Self, where:
"द्रष्टा द्रश्यो दृष्टिर्वा एकत्वेन प्रतिष्ठिता"
The Seer, the Seen, and the Sight are all established in Oneness.
Not Theory, but Realization
All of this, as poetic or philosophical as it may sound, is not meant to be intellectualized but realized within. Through meditation, self-inquiry (“Who am I?”), and surrender, the seeker transcends the triplet illusion and abides in advaya, the undivided Truth.
“Truth is not what you find, it is what remains when the seeker dissolves.” ~ Adarsh Singh
The journey of Sanatan Dharma is the journey from duality to unity, from appearance to essence, from seen to seer to pure being. In this sacred path, the seer does not merely witness, he merges into what is seen, until only Truth remains, shining without a second.
“You are not in the world. The world is in you. And that ‘you’ is not a person, but Presence itself.” ~ Adarsh Singh
Wed Aug 6, 2025
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