Puruṣa

Pure consciousness, the eternal witness. In Sāṃkhya and Yoga metaphysics, puruṣa is the conscious principle opposed to prakrti (matter). Puruṣa is immutable, eternal, and completely distinct from prakṛti: it neither acts nor changes, it simply observes. It is pure luminosity that observes without participating.

The fundamental confusion (avidyā) arises when puruṣa identifies with the movements of the mind, believing itself to be the one who thinks, feels, or suffers. Suffering arises from this confusion between puruṣa and its reflection in matter.

The goal of classical yoga is the discernment (viveka) between puruṣa and prakṛti, recognizing that consciousness has always been free — it was only obscured by mistaken identification. Kaivalya — the definitive isolation of puruṣa from prakṛti — is the ultimate aim. See kaivalya and [[drastri]].