Sākṣī
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Swami Harshananda
Sākṣī literally means ‘witness’.
Qualities of a Sākṣī[edit]
A sāksin or sākṣī is the one who witnesses the happenings around him in a detached way and can give an unbiased account. In the religious judicial system a sāksi or a witness is accepted as reliable if:
- He should comes from a respectable family.
- He should be deeply religious by temperament.
- He should be devoted to truth.
- He should be straightforward.
Qualities of Undependable Sākṣī[edit]
A few of the interesting descriptions of an unreliable witness are:
- Shifting the position constantly
- Licking the corner of his own lips
- Sweat on the forehead
- Change of color of the face
- Faltering speech
- Contradictory statements
Śākṣī as per Vedānta[edit]
In Vedānta, the jīvātman[1] is called sākṣī or sākṣī-caitanya since he is a witness to all the three states of consciousness, viz:
Sākṣī as per the Upaniṣads[edit]
Atman or Brahman also is called sākṣī in the Upaniṣads[2] and the Bhagavadgītā[3] since he is witnessing everything, but is unaffected by the changes of the empirical world.
References[edit]
- ↑ Jīvātman means the individual Self.
- ↑ Svetāśvatara Upanisad 6.11
- ↑ Bhagavadgītā 9.18
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore