Acharya Prashant clarifies the true nature of the witness, explaining that it is not a state one can claim to inhabit for twenty-four hours through effort. He points out that the mind often deceives itself by claiming to have attained what it has not. To be a witness means to catch the mind red-handed in its activities, like catching a thief in the act, rather than lamenting after the theft has occurred. He emphasizes that the witness is merely an observer and has no concern with the actions of the one who acts or 'burns' things down. Furthermore, he asserts that the witness is not a feeling or a state of mind; it is that which sees everything but cannot be seen. If one can talk about the witness, they are merely making it an object of the mind, which is incorrect. He further explains that the witness is only present when the individual 'I' is absent. As long as one is 'something,' they are the seen, not the seer. The seer is that which is nothing. He describes the relationship between the creator and the creation, stating that the creator is so intimately involved that he becomes the creation itself, like a host becoming the tea and biscuits for a guest. However, this knowledge is only useful if one sees everything as the divine; otherwise, the world remains divided by personal gain and loss. He notes that while the source or the witness cannot be directly seen or held, its presence can be indirectly inferred through the occurrence of understanding and peace that transcends physical matter. Acharya Prashant concludes by defining the mind as the entire play of the seer and the seen. To observe the mind means to watch both the object and the one who gives meaning to that object simultaneously. He warns against intellectual exercises like introspection or inquiry, as the one performing them is also the mind. True witnessing is remaining untouched by the mental play. The only evidence of the witness's presence is its 'grace,' which manifests as peace, fearlessness, and love in one's life. If fear and tension decrease, one can infer that the witness has dawned, as these qualities cannot exist without it.
