Who is the true witness of our actions?
The Lord God, Krishna, is the only true divine witness.
Living beings are integral parts of the Lord, yet distinct from Him. Those among them who are conditioned, and therefore unfit to live in the spiritual world, are scattered throughout the material universe to enjoy matter to their satiety. The Lord, for His part, accompanies every conditioned soul in this world in the form of Paramatma as the eternal friend of all beings, precisely to guide them in their quest for material pleasures and to witness their every action.
The sruti-mantra (sacred scripture) tells us of two birds perched on a tree. One eats the fruit of the tree and the other bears witness to its actions. The bird that bears witness is the Lord, and the one that eats the fruit is the distinct being. The individual being has forgotten his real identity and, in his material condition, is carried away by the whirlwind of self-interested actions. But the Lord, the Supreme Soul, always retains spiritual knowledge in its fullness. This is the difference between the Supreme Soul and the conditioned soul. The conditioned soul is subject to the laws of nature, while the Supreme Soul remains the master of material energy.
And the Lord teaches that He guides, or instructs, His pure devotees from within their hearts, and that these instructions are not aimed at any material goal, but only at returning to God, in His kingdom.
Towards the common man, the one who wishes to dominate material nature, the Lord acts only as a witness and consenter; He never gives unbelievers instructions regarding their return to Him. This is the difference between the Lord's relationship with believers and unbelievers. But, just as the monarch reigns over all his subjects, prisoners or free men, the Lord nonetheless remains, ultimately, the guide and sovereign of all beings. However, His relationship with beings changes, depending on whether they are believers or unbelievers. Unbelievers never bother to accept any direction from the Lord; for them, therefore, He remains silent, although He never ceases to witness all their actions and to grant them the fruits, good or bad. Believers or devotees, on the other hand, transcend material good and evil; progressing on the spiritual path, they desire nothing of matter.
The devotee also knows Sri Krishna as the original Narayana; indeed, Karanodakasayi Visnu, the prime source of the entire material creation, is a plenary emanation of Sri Krishna. Now, Sri Krishna, the Supreme Lord, always desires the company of His pure devotees, and for those of them who live on Earth, for them alone, to inspire them, He comes down here. When He appears thus, it is of His own free will, without being compelled by the laws of material nature. It is for this reason that He is called the Almighty, for He is never subject to the laws of material nature.
What is the cause of the shortening of life, the diminution of the duration of existence?
Whoever offends or kills a wise man, a woman, a cow, a child, or an old man, will have their life diminished or shortened.
This system of protection, which encompasses the entire society, is based on the traits that distinguish a civilization of accomplished men from that of animal-men, even refined ones. It is strictly forbidden to kill a wise scholar, a cow, a woman, a child, or an old man. Moreover, the slightest offense against them has the effect of shortening the existence of the guilty party.
In the current age, these principles are hardly observed, hence the considerable suffering endured by human beings. From the moment women, having been left unprotected, become corrupted, unwanted offspring are born. On the other hand, anyone who offends a chaste woman will see misfortune befall him in the form of a shortened life span.