WITNESS-1

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WITNESS

 

Who is a witness? A person who has got first hand information about an

happening or an event is a witness. A person who vouches for the

identity or signature of a person is a witness. A person who stands

testimony for an agreement or a contract or a fact or any other legal

binding, is a witness. In case of any legal violation or accusation,

the judiciary immediately looks for the statement of the witness. The

fact that the witness has seen an event or heard a thing or is helpful

in establishing a circumstantial evidence is also legally very

helpful. These evidences provided by the witness, goes into the

arguments by the arms of the justice through advocates, policemen and

so on. and are largely responsible for establishing a true and fair

trial of the case. Thus, when any dispute arises in the court of law,

immediately the look out is for witness, the search for

direct/indirect evidence from the witness and the sifting of these

evidences in consonance of the rules of frameowrk of the law, justice

and constitution of a particular nation leads in not only arriving at

a reasonable administration of the law of the land but also natural

justice.

 

This practice of legal system has been in vogue for centureis, why

centuries even in earlier yugAs, in the royal dhurbArs, why dhurbArs,

has been practice even as early as, in the times of great epics and

silappadhigAram. The lack of proper analysis of evidence and

non-consideration of an appropriate witness led to rank failure of

justice and faiplay in the silappadhigAram. Such is the import and

importance of witness.

 

Have AzhwAr's relied upon any witness? Have they talked about witness?

Yes, the list includes mArkaNdEya maharishi, beetle, arjunA, shivA and

so on. What was the need for witness? Was there any dispute? Well! in

case of mArkaNdEya maharishi, shivA and arjunA they were summoned to

establish to the world the supremacy of Lord nArAyanA whereas the

beetle had to establish the promise made by the Lord to AzhwAr.

 

First let us start with thirumangai AzhwAr - being parakAla nAyaki-

longs for His arrival and calls for thirup pullAni Lord. It may be

recalled that there was an allegation by AzhwAr that the Lord does

not keep up His promise and He has imbibed this habit from his mate

thiru anthaZhwAn. The question arises whether there was any witness

for this promise?

 

"konguN vaNdE kariyAga vandhAn, kodiyEARku, mun

nangaL Esan namakkEA paNitha mozhi seidhilan,

mangainalvAi thozhudhum ezhu pOi avan mannum vUR,

pongu munnEr karaikkEa maNi vundhu pullANiyEA"

periya thiru mozhi 8-3-4

 

kari = sAkshi= witness

 

parkAla nAyaki desires to visit thirup pullANi. Her thOzhi -friend-

enquires what connexion she has got with the Lord of thirup pullANi,

for which she explains that she and Lord had met there earlier. The

thOzhi's suggestion is that they should go alongwith a person who is

witness to that event. This pAsuram emerges. The beetle which drinks

the honey is the only witness to this event. This beetle is from the

garland of the Lord who is always submerged in this act of consuming

honey, cannot comprehend the agony of AzhwAr and hence the question

of the witness appearing in person is ruled out here. Hence, the

words 'kodiyEARku' .Alas! the only witness is the beetle who will not

come up as a witness is thiru mangai AzhwAr's which leads to my

despair.

 

(to be continued)

vanamamalai padmanabhan