The Seer is absolute knower
Verse 2.19
विशेषाविशेषलिङ्गमात्रालिङ्गानि गुणपर्वाणि ॥१९॥
viśeṣa-aviśeṣa-liṅga-mātra-aliṅgāni guṇaparvāṇi ॥19॥
The gunas generate their characteristic divisions and energies in the seer.
Their stages are distinguishable and non-distinguishable, differentiable and
non-differentiable.
Verse 2.20
द्रष्टा दृशिमात्रः शुद्धोऽपि प्रत्ययानुपश्यः ॥२०॥
draṣṭā drśimātraḥ śuddho-'pi pratyaya-anupaśyaḥ ॥20॥
The Seer is absolute knower. Although pure, seen through the colouring of the intellect.
According to the Sankhyas, nature is both the material and efficient cause of this universe. In this nature there are three sorts of gunas, the Sattva, the Rajas, and the Tamas.
The Tamas material is all that is dark, all that is ignorant and heavy;
and the Rajas is activity. The Sattvas is calmness, light. When nature is in the state before creation, it is called Avyaktam, undefined, or unmanifest that is, in which there is no distinction of form or name, a state in which these three materials are held in perfect balance.
Then the balance is disturbed, these different gunas begin to
mingle and the result is this universe.
In every man, also, these three gunas exist.
👉🏻When the Sattva guna prevails knowledge comes.
👉🏻When the Rajas guna prevails activity comes, and
👉🏻When the Tamas guna prevails darkness comes and laziness, idleness, ignorance.
According to the Sankhya theory, the highest manifestation of this nature, consisting of these three materials, is what they call Mahat, or intelligence, universal intelligence, and each human mind is a part of that cosmic intelligence.
Again, According to the Sankhya philosophy, beyond the whole of this nature is the Purusha, which is not material at all. Purusa is not at all similar to anything else, either Buddhi, or mind, or the Tanmatras, or the gross material; it is not akin to any one of these, it is entirely separate, entirely different in its nature, and it is immortal.
This sutra moves on from nature to Atman, the Supreme Seer, the absolute knower. It is the pure essence of consciousness beyond words. Though the Self is pure, it tends to see through its agent, the intelligence (buddhi) and being carried away by the influence of nature, it loses its identity.
The previous sutra dealt with nature (prakruti) and objects. Here, the nature of the seer, the Atman (purusha) is described.
Atma, drasta are terms which show the innate nature of the seer.
Intelligence clouds consciousness in such a way that it comes to identify itself as the true seer and forgets the soul. But if intelligence can keep its power of discernment, consciousness too will remain uncoloured. If consciousness is clear, the seer, Atman shines forth.
Intelligence, belonging as it does to manifest nature, is constantly changing, sometimes conscious and often unconscious. It is subject to sattva, rajas and tamas, whereas the seer, purusha, is beyond all these, immutable and ever-conscious.
Sattwa guna leads towards illumination, but doesn't in itself provide illumination for it is still rooted to avidhya. A man might have excellent qualities like kindness, compassion, generosity, courage for accomplishing the good, even humility, but as long as these qualities are rooted with avidhya they will define it as only human nature, and cannot take him beyond it. Will to be happy lead by the state of being contented makes one happy, no matter what is required for them. However, those who reckon "What in it for me?" kind of attitude people are never happy, no matter what good is present tonthe.
Tams doesnt give happiness.
Rajas gives satisfaction, but not happiness.
Sattwa gives inner peace and happiness.
In such a means as the unceasing ponder of all men for happiness, through contentment, through these three gunas, untill they develop a desire to get out of avidhya and then these gunas altogether; ego/sense of false self/avidhya will exist.
What Patanjali is doing here is not describing the specific activities of each guna, but pointing out that all the gunas are like veils, covering the pure light of Spirit. Tamo guna is like a fourth veil, darkening that light. Rajo-tamo is the mind without that fourth veil; the qualities it manifests are less gross, and therefore less specific. Rajo-sattwa manifests definable traits, for this quality takes the mind upward by specific actions the virtue of which is that they purify one’s nature. And sattwa is the last veil, through which the light shines clearly, though indefinably. Kindness, non-attachment, humility, and the like cannot be so clearly defined as greed, avarice, lust, etc.
PATANJALI YOGA SUTRAS