Living as the Witness: Sākṣī Bhāva in Daily Consciousness


I want to share with you something that has guided me deeply in my journey—the practice and understanding of Sākṣī Bhāva, the state of being the witness. This is not an abstract idea. It is a lived experience, a way of seeing life clearly without being entangled in it. 

I find that the teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā 6.30 illuminate this beautifully:

"He who sees Me in all beings and sees all beings in Me, for him I am never lost, and he is never lost to Me."

When I reflect on this verse, I recognize that it points to the profound realization of non-separation—of witnessing all that arises, and yet remaining untouched. This witnessing grows progressively, and I have found that the seven chakras offer a natural framework to understand it more deeply.

🔆 Bhagavad Gītā 6.30

यो मां पश्यति सर्वत्र सर्वं च मयि पश्यति ।
तस्याहं न प्रणश्यामि स च मे न प्रणश्यति ॥6.30॥
yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati |
tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśyāmi sa ca me na praṇaśyati ||

"He who sees Me in all beings and sees all beings in Me,
for him I am never lost, and he is never lost to Me."

This verse reflects the highest state of yogic realization: the unity of all existence, the presence of the Divine in all, and the dissolution of separation. It's the view of the Sākṣī – the inner Witness that sees clearly without judgment, projection, or clinging.

Let’s now unfold this realization through the seven chakras, each stage deepening the witness consciousness (sākṣī bhāva) in its own way:

🌱 1. Root Chakra – Mūlādhāra: Sākṣī of Survival

At the base, I confront my instincts, my fear, my need for security. In the past, I reacted impulsively, allowing fear to take control. Now, I observe it. I notice the tightness in the body, the quickened breath, the mind reaching for safety. I do not suppress it, nor do I lose myself in it. The witness allows me to see that even fear and survival are expressions of the Divine. I am present, I am aware, and I am not defined by what arises here.

  • Sākṣī Bhāva: Witness the instinct to grasp, fear, or control when basic safety feels threatened.

  • Practice: Observe bodily reactions, grounding yourself in stillness rather than reacting impulsively.

  • Realization: "Even in discomfort or fear, the One pervades all. I watch the waves of fear arise and fall. I am not the fear."

  • Gītā Link: Seeing the Divine even in pain or struggle—"yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra…"

🌊 2. Sacral Chakra – Svādhiṣṭhāna: Sākṣī of Desire & Emotion

As I move upward, I encounter desire and emotion. I feel longing, attraction, sometimes frustration. Before, these would pull me into identification—pleasure becomes grasping, and disappointment becomes resistance. Now, I simply watch. I allow the sensations to flow, aware that they are temporary, and that in observing them, I connect to the underlying unity. Desire is not my enemy; it is part of the field of life where I see the One.

  • Sākṣī Bhāva: Witness emotional tides—pleasure, attachment, desire—without drowning in them.

  • Practice: Allow feelings to flow, but stay seated in the witnessing presence.

  • Realization: "I feel deeply, but I am not these feelings. I watch the waves of emotion from the silent shore."

  • Gītā Link: All sensations are divine play—"sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati"—desire is not separate from the Divine.

🔥 3. Solar Plexus – Maṇipūra: Sākṣī of Power and Identity

Here, I face ego and personal power. My mind may push for recognition or control, my body may react with tension. I have learned to watch these movements without judging or reacting. I see ambition, pride, and assertion as forces passing through me. I am aware that the energy of power itself is not separate from the Divine, and witnessing it from this perspective allows me to act without attachment or fear.

  • Sākṣī Bhāva: Observe the ego’s urge to control, define, assert.

  • Practice: Watch the hunger for validation or dominance without indulging it.

  • Realization: "Power flows through me, but I am the space it flows in. I am the Witness of this fire, not its servant."

  • Gītā Link: Even the ego’s drama is within the field of the One—“tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśyāmi…”

💚 4. Heart Chakra – Anāhata: Sākṣī of Love and Connection

Love and connection occupy this center. I have known attachment, longing, and loss. I have also known joy and warmth. The witness allows me to experience all of this fully without clinging. I love, I care, I empathize, but I do not become lost. In seeing others as expressions of the Divine, I understand that relationships are mirrors, not prisons. The love I feel is real, yet I do not need to grasp it; I can witness it.

  • Sākṣī Bhāva: Witness both attachment and aversion in relationships with clarity and compassion.

  • Practice: Love without possession; witness both joy and heartbreak from a still heart-space.

  • Realization: "This love is sacred, yet I am not entangled in its form. I see the One in the beloved."

  • Gītā Link: To see “all beings in Me” is the flowering of heart-level sādhana.

🗣️ 5. Throat Chakra – Viśuddha: Sākṣī of Expression and Truth

At the throat, I observe the urge to speak, defend, explain, or convince. My words carry weight, and my mind often wants them to assert identity. Now, I speak with awareness. I notice the impulses arise, I choose what is necessary, and I leave the rest unspoken. The witness allows my expression to be clear without entanglement, aligned with the truth that pervades all.

  • Sākṣī Bhāva: Watch the urge to speak, be heard, prove, or hide. Witness your truth and its ripples.

  • Practice: Speak from awareness, not from compulsion.

  • Realization: "I watch my words rise like birds from silence. I am the sky they rise from."

  • Gītā Link: The seer of the Self sees even speech as part of the Whole—not lost in identity or reaction.

👁️ 6. Third Eye Chakra – Ājñā: Sākṣī of Thought and Intuition

Here, the mind is active, and thought is constant. I notice planning, judging, and imagining. In the past, I would have been lost in these patterns. Now, I watch them as they arise, recognizing that thought is not me. The witness remains steady. I see that perception itself is part of the One, that every thought, every judgment, every insight is contained within the same awareness that observes it.

  • Sākṣī Bhāva: Witness the stream of thoughts—planning, judging, imagining—like clouds passing in the sky.

  • Practice: Rest in the silent background of mind; no need to grasp or resist.

  • Realization: "Thoughts arise and dissolve. I remain – unchanging, aware. I see without seeking."

  • Gītā Link: This is clear non-dual vision—the seer sees Me (Krishna, Self) in all perception.

👑 7. Crown Chakra – Sahasrāra: Sākṣī as Transcendence

Finally, at the crown, I recognize that there is no longer a division between observer and observed. Awareness itself is all-encompassing. The witness does not act or refrain—it simply is. In this state, the Gītā’s promise is fully realized: the Divine is never lost, and I am never lost to it. I rest in this unbroken presence, aware of all, entangled in nothing, fully awake to reality as it is.

  • Sākṣī Bhāva: No longer “witnessing something”—but simply Being. The Witness and the witnessed merge into One.

  • Practice: Deep meditation dissolves the subject-object split.

  • Realization: "There is no other. I am That. The One looks through these eyes, listens through these ears."

  • Gītā Link: “He is never lost to Me, nor I to him” – this is complete union (yoga), rooted in the Witness that is the Self.

Sākṣī Bhāva is not about escaping life. It is about being present in it, witnessing each layer of experience with clarity and balance. Beginning from survival, moving through desire, ego, love, expression, thought, and finally resting in pure awareness, the witness allows life to unfold without grasping or resisting.

I invite you to observe yourself in this way, layer by layer, and see how the witness reveals the depth of your own being. There is no hurry, and there is no external destination. The journey is within, and every moment is the field of awareness.


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