दृक / दृक्साक्षी
Drik / Driksaakshee
Dṛk / Dṛksākṣī · IAST
The seer / witness consciousness — beyond measurement or proof (i.e., Bhagwaan).
Etymology · व्युत्पत्ति
दृक् / दृक्साक्षी = दृक् (द्रष्टा, देखने वाला) + साक्षी (वह द्रष्टा जो स्वयं दृश्य से अलग या निर्लिप्त है)
The word 'dṛk' means seer or witness. 'Sākṣī' has a similar meaning — the witness who is separate or untouched by what is seen. In our scriptures and in common speech, 'seeing' isn't just visual — it includes knowing and understanding. In Advaita Vedānta, dṛk and dṛksākṣī are two synonymous names for the same Paramātman — the one who sees and knows everything, yet is beyond the seen.
Scripture references
Dṛg-Dṛśya Viveka · verse 1
रूपं दृश्यं लोचनं दृक् तद्दृश्यं दृक्तु मानसम्। दृश्या धीवृत्तयः साक्षी दृगेव न तु दृश्यते॥
rūpaṁ dṛśyaṁ locanaṁ dṛk taddṛśyaṁ dṛktu mānasam | dṛśyā dhīvṛttayaḥ sākṣī dṛgeva na tu dṛśyate ||
Form is the seen, the eye is the seer; the eye is then the seen, and the seer is the mind. The mind's modifications are the seen, the witness is the seer alone — but the seer is never itself seen. (That Paramātman who is never seen, yet sees and knows everything.)
Source: akshara-pravaaha.com/naamaavali/drik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Citations from Dṛg-Dṛśya Viveka