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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:



The Vigilant Witness



"The case is dismissed!" rules the Judge, banging his gavel to give the 
proceedings a touch of finality. The murderer walks free, with a smirk on his 
face and an unholy joy in his heart. The chagrined Public Prosecutor looks on 
helplessly, for he knows full well that the man is indeed guilty, but, in the 
absence of an eyewitness to the crime, he has not been able to prove his case 
to the judge's satisfaction. There might be any amount of circumstantial 
evidence to indicate guilt, but there is nothing like an eyewitness to impart 
authenticity to the averments of the prosecution. There are other cases where 
the prosecution, lacking credible evidence of guilt, but convinced that the man 
is indeed guilty, tutors the so-called eyewitness to tender damning evidence 
against the accused, thus securing a conviction. You only have to peruse a few 
Perry Mason novels to discover how witnesses can be "persuaded" to tender 
evidence for or against a person, how easy it is to mislead, confuse, browbeat 
and intimidate them, so as to elicit a response favourable to one's case. There 
are also "professional" witnesses, who will say what they are told to, for a 
consideration. They think nothing of perjury and are for hire to the highest 
bidder.



The very term witness evokes images of courts and law, where there is no reward 
for good behaviour but only punishment for offences. We, however, are about to 
consider a different type of witness, who stands testimony not only to lapses 
but also to good deeds. While the aforesaid witnesses are present mostly by 
coincidence at the scene of the crime, the witness we are to deal with is 
present always, everywhere and with everybody. While the aforesaid witnesses 
are liable to lapses like "bhramam"(faulty perception), vipralambam(deliberate 
intention to mislead) etc., the witness we shall speak of has perfect 
perception and sincerity. He cannot be bought and would not perjure Himself for 
anything ("anritam na uktam poorvam mE, na cha vakshyE kadAchana"). None can 
confuse, mislead or intimidate Him, and He remains steadfast in His version. 
While ordinary witnesses lose their importance once the particular case is 
disposed of, the role of our witness is perennial and unchanging. While normal 
witnesses cringe before the Judge, this Witness stands tall and honourable, 
automatically inviting the worshipful attention of all around Him.



The Vishnu Sahasrama Stotra, amidst the one thousand plus tirunAmAs it 
attributes to the Lord, highlights one particular name, which stands out for 
its beauty, simplicity and significance- "SAkshI". The MundakOpanishad says 
that the luminescent Lord, residing in the same body as the Jeevatma, is a mute 
witness to whatever actions, good or bad, the Jeeva subscribes to, every moment 
of his waking life. Having given us our bodies in accordance with our past 
Karma, having endowed us with intelligence for discerning good from bad and 
having given us the Scripture too, for guiding us on the right path, He just 
watches while we use or abuse our lives. 



What makes the Lord a reliable witness? It could be His innumerable eyes, 
spread all over the Universe, able to perceive what happens everywhere. That 
the Lord's eyes are countless, is brought out by the Purusha Sukta vakya, 
"Sahasra SirshA Purusha: SahasrAksha: sahasra path". There is thus no place on 
earth or heaven where His sight doesn't penetrate. Nothing can happen in this 
vast Universe and others, without His being aware of the same. What is more, He 
doesn't come to know of things post facto, but is aware of happenings as they 
take place, as His eyes are present everywhere-"YO vEtthi yugapat sarvam" says 
Sri Nathamuni, paying tribute to the Lord's omniscience and simultaneous 
perception.



More than His all-pervasive vision, there is another and more important reason 
for His knowing everything everyone does. He is the antaryAmi or inner-dweller 
of all beings, sentient and otherwise. Residing within us, He is aware of each 
and every move of ours. People harbouring secret vices or having skeletons in 
cupboards may think nobody knows about them, but the Lord, residing inside 
their hearts, knows only too well.

Whenever people embark on some unholy enterprise, if they feel a prick of 
conscience, it is the Lord telling them not to go ahead with their nefarious 
agenda. More often than not, their accumulated Karma forces people to disregard 
such early warnings and continue on their 
evil endeavour. Be that as it may, the point is that there are no secrets in 
this world, for the Lord always knows what we are up to. He knows this not 
merely when we execute our design, but even at the conceptual stage. 



"uLLuvAr uLLittru ellAm udan irundu aridi" says Sri Tondaradippodi Azhwar, 
advising us not to harbour hypocritical thoughts, for the omniscient Lord, who 
resides with us constantly ("uLLatthE urayum MAl"), knows each and every 
intimate idea of ours, even before it is conceived. While most witnesses only 
see or hear things while or after they happen, the Divine Witness knows about 
happenings much before they are even thought of.



It is indeed difficult to develop the idea that the Lord resides within us 
constantly, seeing all that we do, hearing all that we utter and divining all 
that we think: but develop it we must, for, it helps us a lot in the long run.

If we are able to feel the presence of a witness to all our actions, we would 
surely refrain from acting in any but the most righteous of ways. If we know 
that somebody inside is listening intently to all that we say, no harsh word or 
untruth would ever pass our lips. And once we understand that there is someone 
who is privy to the most intimate of our thoughts, surely our mind would eschew 
all the garbage of emotions that pass through it and fill itself with the 
purest of thoughts. However, in picturising this, we should not think of the 
Lord in terms of a Peeping Tom, prying into the innermost of our thoughts, 
words and deeds. He is the benevolent father, watching constantly over us, 
wishing us well and anxious that we adhere to Dharma in all our actions, happy 
when we do or say the right things and indescribably sad when we don't. When we 
become aware of this antaryAmi, this ever Vigilant Witness to all our actions, 
our lives become harmonious, our path dovetailing delightfully with the one the 
Paramatma has chosen for us. Once we feel this vigilant well-wisher within us, 
we are assured of Liberation, says the Upanishad-
"ya Enam vidu: amrutA: tE bhavanti".



Srimate SriLakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana 
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Dasan, sadagopan



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