Pratikraman: The Key that resolves all Conflicts (Full Version) by Dada Bhagwan (classic novels for teens .txt) 📕

You have no right to physically punish your child. You only have the right to explain things to him. If you spank your child and fail to do pratikraman, you will bind negative karma. Pratikraman is necessary here. The spanking is due to the wrong nature of the prakruti (the mind, speech and body complex being the relative-self). It is kashays (inner weaknesses of anger, pride, deceit and greed) which lead to the spanking, but if you remember my words, ‘Do pratikraman,’ after you have spanked him, and if you do pratikraman, you will immediately erase the mistake. It is possible to erase it immediately.

Who is Exempt from Doing Pratikraman?

Dadashri: How many pratikramans do you do?

Questioner: Not even one.

Dadashri: So then how many atikramans do you do? Wherever there is atikraman, you always have to do pratikraman. There is no need for pratikraman if there is no atikraman. ‘I am Chandubhai’ is atikraman. However, for the sake of worldly interactions, this is pardoned. But does anyone get hurt because of you? If not, then there is no atikraman. If during the course of your day you hurt anyone, this is atikraman for which you should do pratikraman. (8)

This is the science of the vitarags, the fully enlightened Ones. Atikraman takes you to a birth in the lower life forms, while pratikraman will take you into a higher life form. Only pratikraman will help you until you attain final liberation.

Who does not need to do pratikraman? The one who does no atikraman.

Recognizing Atikraman

Questioner: We have no intention of hurting anyone and yet we become instrumental (nimit) in hurting people. So is it necessary to form an opinion that we have to do pratikraman for the atikraman we do?

Dadashri: If something you said or your action hurt someone, you are considered to have done atikraman. You have to do pratikraman for that. You have erred by doing atikraman and, therefore, you will bind karma.

Questioner: If the other person is just a nimit, then why should he feel hurt? Then what is the need for pratikraman?

Dadashri: You have to do pratikraman if he is hurt by you. It is not considered atikraman if he is not hurt by you. Therefore, you do pratikraman only if atikraman occurs.

All this eating, drinking, talking, etc., is kraman. Kraman is going on the whole day long. Getting up early, getting up late is all kraman.

If someone was to get up right now and start swearing at someone, you will all think, ‘Why did he have to do atikraman when everything was going on smoothly?’ That is called atikraman. When you hurt someone’s feelings, that atikraman may be spontaneous and natural, yet you have to dopratikraman for it. Even if you do not utter a word through your mouth but your mind becomes negative towards him, then too you have to do pratikraman. Pratikraman means to ask for forgiveness in a way you understand. You understand that you did wrong and you have to decide not to do it again. You should vow not to do that again. If it still occurs again, if you repeat the mistake again, then you should repent again. As soon as you become aware of the mistake, you should repent and that much of your mistake will be destroyed. In the end everything will gradually come to an end.

How can you consider it a dharma (religion; rightful action) when it cannot destroy karma which creates further bondage? When can new karma stop? They can stop with pratikraman.

Asking for Energies to Rise Higher

Questioner: How and from whom should we ask for energies to rise higher within?

Dadashri: You can ask for the energies from your own Shuddhatma (pure Soul) or from the Gnani Purush. And those who are not Self-realized should ask for energies from their guru or from whatever God they believe in. You should make a list of all wrong you see within and ask for the energy to overcome them. Through faith, or with Gnan (enlightened knowledge), decide what is definitely wrong and then do pratikraman for it; ask for the shakti (energy) from the Gnani Purush that it should not be so. Then the mistakes will go away.

Large tubers of mistakes can be dissolved with samayik (to Be the Self and to ‘see’ the self) while other minor mistakes can be removed with prayer (pratikraman). Mistakes that have arisen in absence of prayer or pratikraman can be removed through prayer. All this atikraman has arisen due to ignorance of the Self. Paudgalik shakti (energies of the physical matter, energies of the non-Self) can be overcome through prayer (pratikraman). It is easy to slip down and difficult to climb up because paudgalik shakti is involved in slipping.

Settlement of All Karma with the Gnan of the Gnani Purush

Seeker: There are all kinds of karmas (acts through thoughts, speech and body) one has to do in worldly interactions, many of which are considered bad or demerit ( paap) karma. (Demerit karma, sin, is that which hurts others and as a consequence brings suffering to the self. Merit karma is that which helps others and as a consequence brings pleasure to the self.) How can we be saved from these demerit karmas?(10)

Dadashri: Whatever knowledge about demerit karma one has, that much knowledge will help him. If you want to go to the railway station, and you have the directions to go there, then that knowledge will help you get there. How can you be saved from demerit karma? With whatever knowledge you have about it…but that knowledge does not lie in any books or with anyone else except a Gnani. Elsewhere, you will find worldly knowledge. Only a Gnani Purush has the nischay-gnan (knowledge of the Self). Nischay-gnan is not to be found in any book. It is hidden in the heart of a Gnani Purush. You will find a solution when you hear nischay-gnan; when you hear it live in His speech.

Books contain worldly knowledge; it, too, can give you a lot of solutions. The intellect (buddhi – knowledge through the medium of the ego) increases with worldly knowledge. Intellect-based knowledge (matignan) will increase. Matignan increases with scriptural or literate knowledge received through ‘hearing’ (shrutgnan), and thus comes a solution as to how to become free from demerit karma (paap). Otherwise, there is no other solution. And the other thing is one’s own inner intent (bhaavna). One can be free if he does pratikraman. But what should that pratikraman be? It should be ‘shoot-on-sight’ pratikraman, meaning it should be instant pratikraman. If pratikraman is done the instant a wrongful act occurs through thoughts, speech or acts, then you will have the solution.

Repentance for Unjust Worldly Interactions

Seeker: When I see injustice in daily life interactions and in business, the mind becomes upset. So what should I do when that affects the way I interact with people? How should I repent if there is any injustice on my part?

Dadashri: In the repentance there should be alochana (recall and confession of mistakes), pratikraman (repentance and asking for forgiveness), and pratyakhyan (resolve never to repeat the mistake and asking for the energies for this). This should be done in the presence of whichever God you believe in. Which God do you believe in?

Seeker: Lord Shiva.

Dadashri: Yes, so Lord Shiva should be your witness when you repent. You should do alochana which is to confess or admit that you erred with such and such a person. You should repent repeatedly. If you err, you should repent. In doing so, the mistake will decrease. Injustice will occur even though you may not wish to. This is due to the faults of the non-Self complex (prakruti). This fault of the non-Self complex is from the past life, not of the current life. Today you want to improve but because of your past life mistakes (cause), these faults continue to occur in this life (effect) and they will not leave without harassing you. For this you should continuously do alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan.

Seeker: What is the solution when I have to tolerate a lot of things?

Dadashri: You should tolerate without complaining. Tolerate with equanimity, without cursing the other person in your mind and with the understanding that he has released you from the bondage of your previous karma, and thank him sincerely for doing so. You should feel obliged to him. No one suffers without a reason. Your suffering is the result of your own past demerit karma.

Questioner: Please write this ‘alochana, pratikraman, pratyakhyan’ down for me. Help me get the confirmation from the Gnani Purush so that I can start doing alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan.

Dadashri: Yes, of course, you will have to do that! That you will learn here.

Oh! Pratikraman Even for That!

Questioner: Is pratikraman to be done only for seeing faults in others?

Dadashri: Not just for that, but also for telling lies or for doing something wrong. Pratikraman should be done if any transgression through thoughts, speech or acts is committed towards any living being. Pratikraman should also be done for violating any of the five mahavrats (the five supreme vows are ahimsa/non-violence; satya/truth; achaurya/non-theft; aparigraha/non-acquisitiveness and brahmacharya/celibacy).

Questioner: Why should I do pratikraman when the doer of the wrong is separate (‘Chandulal’)?

Dadashri: The Self is not doing pratikraman but the Self is making the one who makes the mistake (the relative self) do pratikraman. Pure Soul ( Shuddhatma) does not do pratikraman.

[2] Every Religion Supports Pratikraman

The Highest Relative Religion

The highest and most profound element of the Jain religion is alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan. It is actually in other religions too, but what is it like there? There people ask for an overall general forgiveness. It exists in Islam, Christianity and other religions. The custom of asking for forgiveness has been going on everywhere, but the method shown by the vitarag Lords, the one of doing alochana, pratikraman, pratyakhyan in the presence of the guru, is very scientific. It gives instant results. (13)

In the other, by asking for forgiveness, one reduces the demerit karma (paap), that is all; whereas with this pratikraman, demerit karmas are eliminated completely.

The Lord (all enlightened Ones) has said that true relative religion is that of alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan. And these, too, have to be done instantly; they will not work if left pending. If you hurt someone, keep a mental note of it and then after doing alochana, do cash pratikraman and pratyakhyan. This is what the Lord calls relative and real (vyavahar and nischay) pratikraman. But who will be able to do this?

This instant, ‘shoot-on-sight’ pratikraman is only possible for the one who is Self-realized, and he is, therefore, able to see his own faults. However, if a person who has not attained Self-realization also were to apply the principle of alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan in his daily life, it would still be beneficial for him even though he does not understand it. Self-realization will eventually come in front of him.

The one whose alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan are sincere will attain the Self for sure.

Seeker: Give me some solution, a vow or some form of repentance whereby, if I commit a demerit karma, I can attain purity and become free from it.

Dadashri: ‘We’ - the Gnani Purush and the fully enlightened One