Justice G.R. Swaminathan addresses Vedic scholars in Chennai, sharing a personal story about faith, law and the protective power of the Vedas.
Justice G. R. Swaminathan of the Madras High Court recently narrated an intensely personal incident at the 17th Annual Talent Parade of Vedic Scholars held in Chennai under the auspices of the Om Charitable Trust.
He stated that a court decision led him to the realization that when Vedas are safeguarded, they will protect those who cultivate them. According to the judge, a Vedic scholar was found guilty and given an 18-month prison sentence in a motor vehicle accident case that resulted in a man's death. He recounted an occurrence and a connected court case that he said altered his perspective.
It was an account of the Vedic scholar, his long-time friend, a Sastrigal, who had undergone training for seven years and followed traditional Vedic ways, who was convicted and sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for having been found guilty in a fatal motor-vehicle accident.
The scholar, according to Justice Swaminathan, testified to having been driving to shield his sister, who was visiting and about to return to America, but there was no evidence whatsoever to identify him as the driver, nor eyewitnesses.
Swaminathan, then an active advocate, took up the appeal on the sole point of law, which was that no witness gave evidence to identify the scholar as the driver.
He maintained, "Not a single one could support that statement nor point him out in court." Ultimately, the judge who acquitted him for lack of evidence was his own classmate.
This experience changed Swaminathan's view on spiritual and moral jurisprudence, explaining that "when we protect Vedas, Vedas protect us." He said that acquittal is the moment this thought cemented within him.
The scholar claimed to have driven the automobile carelessly and turned himself in to the police because Shastri's sister had to go for the United States. After the matter went to trial, the Shastri received an 18-month jail sentence.
According to the judge, six months in jail is typical in these situations. Shastri used to appear in court wearing traditional clothing, and the scholar informed him that this was the reason he received an 18-month jail sentence.
Never before had he contemplated the idea of spiritual protection; it was the visible experiences of how devotion and safeguarding of the Vedic tradition seemed to return the dividends of justice that made him think.
Addressing a gathering of Vedic scholars and devotees, he proclaimed that actions performed in sincere reverence and responsibility towards ancient spiritual texts might invite unexpected protection, be it symbolically, karmically or even legally. For him, this was more than a legal victory, it was also a testimony to faith and the living power of Vedic values.
All the eight witnesses said the car ran amok, hit the man and he died, Justice Swaminathan recalled.
