P r a t i k r a m a n
Gnani
Purush Dadashri Dadashri:
To speak and act exactly according to the thoughts in his mind. If you utter
pleasant words, but harbor negative thoughts in your mind, then you must do
pratikraman (ask for
forgiveness). You should do the
pratikraman with Dada Bhagwan as your witness. This body that you see in front
of you is not Dada Bhagwan. This body is called A.M.
Patel of Bhadaran (a town in Gujarat, India). Dada Bhagwan is the omniscient
one, the Lord of the universe, manifest within this body. Pratikraman should
be done in his name as follows: “Dear
Dada Bhagwan, this mind has had negative thoughts, for which I ask for your
forgiveness. Please forgive me!”
I too do pratikraman recalling his name.
(Main book in Gujarati. Pg.1.) To
do good deeds, is dharma, and to do bad deeds is adharma. Atma dharma
(religion of the Self) is to go beyond both. If you do good karmas, you will
earn merits (punya) in your karmic account, the benefits of which you will
have to experience in the next life. For your bad
karmas (paap) you will incur debt, which you will have to suffer in the next
life. A person can attain the Self, when he has cleared all
debits and credits from his karmic account. Questioner:
In life, doing karma is
inevitable. What should one do when one does negative karma either knowingly
or unknowingly? Dadashri:
If that happens, there is a remedy for it. Once a misdeed has been
committed, repentance should follow
immediately. You must repent wholeheartedly and with sincerity. Even after
repentance, should you repeat the mistake, there is no need to worry: just
repent again. You are not aware of the science behind all this, so you may
feel that despite your repentance, the negative deeds do not stop.
Why they do not stop, is also a science in itself. You must simply
carry on repenting. If you repent for your misdeeds wholeheartedly, all your
bad karma will be washed away. If you hurt someone, then you absolutely must
repent. Dadashri:
Yes of course! Until you become Self-Realized, if you fail to repent, you will
continue to bind more karmas. The tangled knots of karmas will loosen through
repentance with a view to undoing wrong deeds. If not, the result from sins
you bind will be so horrendous that you may even forfeit human birth in your
next life. And if you manage to attain human life again, it
will be full of suffering and misery: You will be deprived of food and respect
and suffer constant insults. That is why repentance along with other rituals
become necessary. This is called indirect devotion, not
directed to wards the Self. Until you attain Self-Realization, such acts are
necessary. Now,
who should be a witness to your repentance? It must be done in the presence of
the God you believe in, whether it is Lord Krishna, Dada Bhagwan or any other
God. There is a cure for everything in this world. First the cure is born, and
then the problem or affliction arises.
(P. 3) How
has the world come into existence? It is because of atikraman (aggression in
thoughts, speech and acts). Kraman (neutral
deeds - deeds which do not have any good or bad implications) alone does not
cause any problems. For example, if we damage someone’s property and
compensate him for the damage, it is not considered atikraman and so
pratikraman is not needed. But to blame him for the damage to his property is
atikraman. Atikraman is always taking place, so you have to do pratikraman.
Any activity that takes place as a normal activity is simply kraman and there
is no problem with that. Dadashri:
You will know and so will the other person. You will perceive it from
the expression on his face and you will feel it too. It
will affect you both. That is why pratikraman must be done.
(Pg.4) Anger,
pride, attachment and greed are all considered atikraman, so if you do
pratikraman, they will diminish. If you do pratikraman immediately after
atikraman, your anger, pride, attachment and greed will disappear. The worldly
life is created by atikraman and destroyed by pratikraman.
(P.5) Dadashri:
If a person insults you, you should understand who
the real culprit is behind the insult. Is it the one who insults or is it the
one who feels insulted? This should be determined first. You must understand
that the person who insults you is not at fault, even in the slightest degree.
He is merely an ‘instrument’, and it is because of your own karma,
which is unfolding, that you are brought together with him. The fault is your
own and you must do pratikraman if you harbor any negative feelings towards
him. You do not have to do pratikraman if you have no ill feelings towards him
or if you feel a sense of obligation to him for being instrumental in the
discharge of your karma. When
a person is unpleasant or abusive towards you, you should look upon the
incident as being your own account and see him as an ‘instrument’. Even a
pickpocket would be an instrument to settle your karmic account. All disputes
arise because people blame the instrument. Atikraman is to walk on the wrong
path and pratikraman is to retrace your footsteps.
(P.6) Where
there is fighting there is no pratikraman and where there is pratikraman,
there is no fighting. 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.
(P.7)
It is atikraman even to say, "I
am Chandubhai”, but it is acceptable for the ease of worldly and social
interactions. If you do not hurt anyone
it is not called atikraman. If during the course of your day you hurt
someone, it would be atikraman for which you must do pratikraman.
This
is the science of the Vitarag. Atikraman takes you to a birth in the lower
life forms, namely the animal kingdom or even hell, and pratikraman transports
you to a higher life form. Only pratikraman will help you until you attain
final liberation. Who
does not need to do pratikraman? The one who has not done atikraman.
(P.8) Questioner:
When I see injustice in daily life, it upsets me, what should I do if this
affects the way I interact with others? How should I repent
if there is any injustice on my part? Dadashri:
You should do alochana (confession), pratikraman (repentance) and pratyakhyan
(resolve never to repeat the mistake). This should be done
in the presence of whichever God you believe in. Which God do you believe in? Questioner:
Lord Shiva. Dadashri:
So Lord Shiva should be your witness when you repent. Your alochana should be
that having recognized your fault, you do not wish to repeat it. You must
repeatedly repent. If you err, you must repent. In so doing, your wrong deeds
will decrease. You may cause injustice although you may not wish to. This can
be attributed to the faults of prakruti (inborn nature), and the fault in your
prakruti stems from your previous life, not from this life. Today you want to
improve, but because of your previous causes, these faults continue to occur
and they will not leave without harassing you. For this, you must continuously
do alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan.
(P.10) Questioner:
What is the solution when one has to tolerate and endure a lot of things?
Dadashri:
You should tolerate and not complain either. Tolerate with equanimity,
without cursing the other person in your mind. In fact you
should consider the other person as obliging you for releasing you from the
bonds of your previous karma and thank him. You should feel an obligation
towards him. No one suffers without a reason. Your suffering is the result of
your own past karmas. Questioner:
Is pratikraman only to be done for seeing faults in others? Dadashri:
Not just for that, but also for telling lies, for insulting or hurting
someone. Pratikraman should be done if any violence through
thoughts, speech and acts to any living being. Pratikraman should also be done
for violating any of the five mahavratas (the five supreme vows of: ahimsa-
non-violence, satya- truth, achoriya - not stealing, aparigraha - non-greed,
and bhramcharya – celibacy).< (P.11) 2.
Every Religion Mentions Pratikraman God
has said that alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan,is the essence of relative
religion. These have to be done instantaneously; you should not keep anything
pending. If you hurt someone, keep a mental note of it and then do your
alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan.
This instant, shoot-on-sight pratikraman is only possible when one is
Self-realized, and is therefore able to see his own faults. However, if a
person who has not attained the Self 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 to him. One
is bound to attain Self-Realization if one's alochana, pratikraman and
pratyakhyan are done with sincerity.
(P.12) Questioner:
Pratikraman would be to repent. Is pratyakhyan to resolve never to repeat
the mistake? Dadashri:
Yes. Sincere repentance is called pratikraman. Once pratikraman is done,
the atikraman will not occur again. To vow, ‘I will never do that again. I
promise that I shall not repeat the mistake again’, is called pratyakhyan.
When you do pratyakhyan in this way, in your mind, one layer of karma will
be shed. And if the same atikraman should occur again, it is because of
another layer of karma, so you should not panic but continue with your
pratikramans.
(P.13) Questioner:
What is alochana? Dadashri:
Alochana is to confess your misdeed as it is and exactly the way it
happened to your guru or to a Gnani.
The amount of pratikraman one needs to do depends on the amount of
atikraman one does. Atikraman includes deeds that are not
acceptable in society, deeds that are condemned, and deeds that inflict pain
on others. If any of this applies, pratikraman is necessary.
(P.14)
You have to understand who binds the karmas. What is your name? Questioner:
My name is Chandulal. Dadashri:
Then the one who says, ‘I am Chandulal’ is the entity that binds
karma. Karma are bound even during sleep, throughout the night.
What is the reason behind this? It is because of the false accusation
of who you are (You are really pure Self, but you say you are Chandulal) that
karma are being charged. In reality you are not Chandulal, and yet you claim
that you are. ‘I am Chandulal’ is a false accusation and with this belief
you are continuously charging karma. With your conviction of ‘I am Chandulal’
comes a series of other wrong beliefs, ‘I am her husband; his uncle; her
father; their boss, etc.’ Even in sleep you bind karma, which cannot be
avoided, but if you purify your ego of its conviction of ‘I am Chandulal’,
you will not bind as many karmas.
Even after the ego becomes somewhat pure you will still have to perform
some rituals. If your daughter-in-law breaks something expensive and you shout
at her, you will have to do pratikraman for hurting her feelings. The hurt you
cause is atikraman and if you do pratikraman immediately, the karma will
become lighter. Whenever you do atikraman, you must erase it with pratikraman.
It should be a shoot-on-sight, instantaneous pratikraman,
and not the kind, which is done only once a year. Only then will it lighten
this burden of suffering. If you conduct yourself according to the ways
prescribed by the Vitarag, your suffering will depart. (P.16) Questioner:
How does one do pratikraman? Dadashri:
If you have attained Self-Realization, you will become aware of the Self
within the other person. It is precisely the Self within that person that you
must address. Otherwise, you can direct your pratikraman towards God by
saying, "O Lord! I repent for my mistake. I ask for
your forgiveness and resolve never to repeat it." That
is all. Questioner:
Do the bad deeds get washed away? Dadashri:
Yes, yes of course they will! After pratikraman, the fault will not remain.
Even a massive karma will appear as though it were a burnt rope with
its cinders intact, which crumble and disperse at the slightest touch. Questioner:
And how should one repent? Should it be done outwardly so that it is visible
to others or from within, in one’s mind? Dadashri:
In your mind! You should remember Dadaji, apologize for your mistake, and make
a resolve never to do it again. In so doing, the pain will be erased and the
mistake destroyed. If you fail to do this, your mistakes will accumulate.
Akram Vignan is the only path of its kind that allows you to see your
own faults and shoot them as they appear, destroying them completely.
(P.17) Questioner:
On one hand you commit aggression and on the other you repent. It is a
never-ending thing. Dadashri:
It is not like that. If a person commits a bad deed and he repents, he can
never feign repentance. When he repents, that repentance is
sincere and with that, a layer of karma is removed. The onion still appears
whole although one layer is gone. Another layer will be removed the next time.
Repentance never goes to waste.
1
(P18) Questioner:
Should we not ask for forgiveness with a sincere heart? Dadashri:
A person who apologizes, does so with his heart. It will even suffice to
apologize insincerely, as long as the apology is made. Questioner:
Then it will just become a habit. Dadashri:
Even if it does become a habit, it is fine as long as an apology is made. Just
realize that if you do not repent, you will have to pay for it.
If someone is an alcoholic and asks for forgiveness, I tell him to keep
asking for forgiveness and to make a firm resolution that he wants to quit his
bad habit, even as he continues to drink. One day he will be free of his
addiction. I give you this absolute guarantee through my Science. This
Science is bound to grow and proliferate, yielding immediate results.
‘This is the cash bank of Divine Solution’. The only 'cash bank'.
Such a bank has not appeared in the last one million
years. It offers liberation within just two hours. I am
ready to grant you whatever you ask of me.
(P.19)
Nature forgives a man who repents after he steals. If he repents, even
God does not regard it as a sin. People on the other hand will punish him and
he will have to suffer the consequences in this life. If
one repents heartily his faults would eventually disappear, but they speak
superficially. Although you may commit a terrible mistake, if you sincerely
regret it, it will not happen again. If it occurs again, it does not matter as
long as you continue to repent.
(P.21) Questioner:
What is the difference between pratikraman and praschyatap? Dadashri:
Praschyatap is repentance and is general and for a whole bunch of faults and
not specific to any particular fault. The Christians do a general confession
of their faults every Sunday. Whereas pratikraman is specific to a fault, it
is the one who commits the atikraman, who does pratikraman. Pratikraman is
done instantly the moment atikraman takes place. Shoot-on-sight pratikraman
should be done so that fault is erased.
(P.28) Alochana,
pratikraman and pratyakhyan, is the essence of Lord Mahavir's teachings.
And in this path of Akram Vignan, the Gnani Purush is the essence of
all teaching. You must simply understand that the Gnani's Agna (five cardinal
instructions after Gnan) is your religion and penance. But alas! From time
immemorial, people have had a tendency to interfere and not follow
instructions.
(P.29) 3.
These Are Not Lord Mahavir’s Pratikramans Questioner:
For endless lifetimes, one has been doing pratikraman but has not attained
liberation. Dadashri:
That is because one’s pratikraman has not been real. Liberation is possible
only when true pratikramans and true pratyakhyans are done. Pratikraman should
be shoot-on-sight pratikraman. If I utter a word to cause you even the
slightest hurt, I should do pratikraman spontaneously, without hesitating even
for a second. You cannot afford to let things sit and stagnate.
(P.30) Pratikraman
means regret, repentance. What does one have to repent for?
Question:
We are not really able to repent. We just keep doing all these rituals. Dadashri:
Pratikraman is to retrace one's steps. To repent for the anger and sins you
have done, is pratikraman.
(p.31) What
is pratikraman? You can only call it pratikraman when your faults decrease.
How can it be called pratikraman if your faults increase? God has said to do
pratikraman in a language that can be understood. Do pratikraman in your own
language; otherwise you will not reap any benefits from it. The
pratikraman rituals are being done in the Magdhi (ancient) language. Now what
good does it do for people who do not even understand Gujarati to be doing
pratikraman in Magdhi? Even the sadhus and acharyas do not understand it
themselves, which explains why their own faults do not decrease. Such is the
state of things of today. The
Lord(Mahavir) has instructed that only the Navkar Mantra be spoken in the
Magdhi language and that too, with complete understanding. Only the Navkar
Mantra was worth retaining in the Magdhi language because they are the
Lord’s words. You must first understand the true meaning of pratikraman and
understand for whom you are doing it. Realize that you are
doing it for your self, who committed the mistake and is now facing the
atikramans in the form of insults received or given to others. Pratikraman
means to destroy inner enemies of anger, false pride, greed and illusionary
conduct.
(P.33) Nowadays,
when people perform their pratikraman rituals, they do them once a year. They
wear new clothes and gather. What sort of pratikraman do you call this? Is
this some sort of a wedding ceremony? Pratikraman means to be remorseful and
repentant. What is the relevance of wearing fancy clothes? Is
someone getting married? Not only this, but they do 'rayshi'
(early morning pratikraman) and 'devshi' (late evening pratikraman). How is it
possible to recall each fault committed throughout the day when it is
difficult for them to even remember what they ate for breakfast?
What is the religion of the Vitarag? In it five hundred or more
pratikramans happen everyday. The religion of the Jain can be found everywhere
but not the religion of the Vitarag. How can one do pratikraman just once a
year and call oneself a Jain? Nevertheless it is better to
do it even once a year than not to do it at all.
(P.37) Although
I make this statement, I have already done pratikraman before speaking in this
manner. You however must not speak in such a harsh manner. Although I am
saying such harsh things and pointing out mistakes, I speak out of compassion
and I see everyone as faultless. Someone has to enlighten this world . People
need to understand the reality as it is.
(P.40)
Knowledge of the Self is the path of liberation. Pratikramans after
Self-relalization puts you on the path to liberation. All other ways of
seeking will become beneficial after Self realization. Questioner:
Can pratikramans become the cause of Atma Gnan(
Self-Realization)? Dadashri:
No. This is because one does pratikraman for past mistakes, but at the same
time news atikraman are taking place because of one’s ignorance of the Self.
This ignorance and illusion is unrelenting. It never
stops. This illusion, to take that which appears in worldly view as real is
the cause of new karma. One is perpetually creating new
karma as one destroys one’s old karma through pratikraman. Old karma is an
effect and one is doing pratikramans for the effects. When people do
pratikraman, they bind punya (good karma).
(P.44) In
the worldly life, people generally do pratikraman and if they have the
awareness, they do pratikramans in the morning and at the end of the day. By
doing this, they will decrease many faults, but as long as they remain
ignorant of their real Self, they will not attain liberation, and their faults
will continue to occur. The faults one does pratikraman for will be erased.
(P.45) But
today, let alone shoot-on-sight pratikraman, people cannot even manage to do
pratikraman at the end of the day, once a week or even once a month. It is
done once a year and even then, without any understanding. They just make a
fashion parade out of it. No one actually does the real pratikraman and so his
or her faults keep increasing. One can only call it pratikraman if one’s
faults decrease.
(P.48)
If ever this lady (Self-realized), sitting here has
a negative thought, she would not allow you to notice it. While she manages to
smile, she is doing pratikraman simultaneously. She does more than five
hundred pratikramans each day. A single negative thought is atikraman. People
are not aware of how much atikraman they do throughout their day.
(P.50) Questioner:
That is all bhaav-pratikraman(intent and feelings). One
cannot do kriya-pratikraman (pratikraman through
action) right? Dadashri:
No, there is no pratikraman through action. Pratikraman is an internal
process. There is no action-oriented pratikraman. Questioner:
Can you explain what dravya(effect)-pratikraman is and what
bhaav(cause)-pratikraman is? Dadashri:
Your inner intentions should be: ‘This should not be so.’ That would be
called bhaav-pratikraman. In dravya-pratikraman, you actually have to utter
each and every written word. It becomes a ritual. It is an effect.
(P.52) Today's
pratikramans as they are done, would find everyone in jail if the Lord were to
be present here. Pratikraman is to ask for forgiveness for each and every
fault and to clear that fault, thoroughly removing even the smallest of
stains, leaving everything as clean as before. Today all you see is soiled,
dingy, stained cloths. People
have not done pratikraman for even a single fault and so now there are
countless warehouses of faults.
How is it possible for this young lady here (Self-realized, sitting
near me), to possess such high, noble and distinguished thoughts? It is
because she does countless pratikramans on a daily basis, while these people
have not done even a single one.
(P.54) There
is always a veil of ignorance in any act of doership. One’s faults become
concealed once the veil appears. The fault is only visible when this veils of
ignorance of doership is destroyed. Only a Gnani Purush can clear this sense
doership, you cannot do it on your own. The Gnani Purush will fracture and
cast off all the sense of doership.
(p. 55) Questioner:
How can one do true pratikraman? When is the pratikraman considered pure? Dadashri:
True pratikraman begins after Self-Realization. Once you attain the
enlightened vision and replace your illusion with the right vision, only then
will you be able to do real pratikraman. Until then, one can still decrease
one’s faults with pratikraman and repentance. If one does not attain this
enlightened vision, but still does pratikraman after having done something
wrong, one binds less karma. Do you understand that? Karma is shed with
pratikraman and repentance. Why do
we quickly attempt to remove spilt coffee from our clothing? Questioner:
To remove the stain. Dadashri:
Likewise, you must wash away internal stains. These people here immediately
wash away their internal stains; the arising of the reactions of anger, greed,
false pride and illusionary behavior, so everything remains spotless and
meticulous. When it is done only once a year, are you able to clean all your
clothes? My
pratikraman is the shoot-on-sight pratikraman. What you
consider as pratikraman is not pratikraman at all, because the stains are not
removed, while mine are spotless and clean. Pratikraman is when all the stains
(atikraman) are washed and are immaculately clean. Clothes
must be laundered every single day. Each individual clothing item needs
washing. What do the Jains do? They accumulate a year's worth of dirty laundry
and then attempt to wash it all at once. The Lord certainly does not allow it.
Each clothing item needs to be washed separately with great care. When you
manage to wash at least five hundred a day, you will be making progress. However
many of your faults you are able to see, that many faults will decrease. This
lady here is able to see five hundred of her faults a day, so what prevents
others from seeing their own? Something is still lacking, surely it is not
because they have become completely faultless that they cannot see their
faults?
(P.63) The
Lord has emphasized the need to do pratikraman daily. People do it once a year
during Paryushan (Jain religious event of eight days). The Lord said that a
true merchant is the one who keeps an account in his record book for the
entire day, tallying his ledger in the evening. If he were to log everything
just once a year, how would he manage to remember all his accounts and set his
books straight? The Lord has stressed the importance of keeping a logbook for
the entire day, as a true merchant would do. If an entry is made incorrectly,
that is if a misdeed occurs, it must be erased through pratikraman.
(P.64) 4.
The Gnani Purush’s Awareness Everyone
in this world is faultless. And yet look how my speech comes out. I have seen
everyone as faultless. I do not see anyone as faulty at all. How can I speak
in this manner? Is it necessary for me to say this? I should not speak this
way about anyone. I do pratikraman immediately after I say it. This is because
I fall short by four degrees (360 degrees is Absolute Enlightenment, Dadashri
is at 356 degrees) and therefore I do pratikraman. I have to do pratikraman. Although
I deliberately use stern words, this is an error towards nature. Therefore I
make the one who has done atikraman (A.M.Patel), do pratikraman. Each mistake
has its pratikraman. My intention however is not to harm anyone.
(P.64)
I cannot say that it is not so, when it is so and vice versa, which is
why some people feel hurt by what I say. If I say something exists when it
does not, you will be deluded and if I say it like it is, people will wonder
why I am saying it. For all this I have to do pratikraman because no matter
what, no one should be hurt. If someone believed that there was a ghost in the
banyan tree, and if I told him that no such thing existed, I may hurt his
feelings by disagreeing with him. So I must do pratikraman. I always have to.
(P.65) Questioner:
If someone misinterprets something, what should we do? Dadashri:
All these so-called truths that you come across are all relative truths. They
are all false. They may be right according to the way of the world, but from
the real viewpoint, they are all wrong. Pratikraman must be done for each and
every viewpoint. You must even do pratikraman for saying, "I am a
spiritual teacher", because this is a wrong belief. In reality you are
pure Self. All other beliefs are wrong beliefs. Do you
understand this? Questioner:
Yes I do indeed. Dadashri:
Everything is false. Because people do not understand, they proclaim that they
are telling the truth. If it were indeed the truth, it would not offend
anyone.
(P.67) The
instant I utter a word, I am simultaneously doing pratikraman with fervor. Questioner:
But if you tell the truth about something, then why is it necessary to do
pratikraman? Dadashri:
No, I still have to do pratikraman. Why did I see someone’s fault? Why did I
see his fault even though he is faultless? Despite his faultlessness, was he
not criticized? Any
truth that hurts the other is not considered truth and must not be uttered. If
uttered, this truth becomes a fault. It represents violence.
The way to liberation is through alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan.
What do our mahatmas (people who are Self-Realized) do? They do alochana,
pratikraman and pratyakhyan throughout the entire day. If
you were to ask them to do rituals and practice austerity such as fasting and
other penance, they will tell you that they have no need for such austerities
because they have no worries and are content. They remain constantly at peace
with themselves and free from all woes and anxieties, undeterred by the
external world. So why would they want to complicate their lives by
introducing chaos in the form of fasting etc? People who
are confused do all these complicated penances and other rituals. People, who
do rituals, enjoy doing them and need to do them. That is
why I say that penance is for those who derive pleasure from it. Those who
have a passion for the worldly life do penance.
Questioner:
People believe that in doing penance, karmas are being dispelled. Dadashri:
That will never happen. Which penance brings about a discharge of karmas?
It is not the penance that is visible to the eye, and heard by the
ears. This is all external penance. Only internal penance, can lead to
discharge of karmas. That is the kind of penance these mahatmas ‘do’. Any
penance, which is visible to others, will result in punya. The penance that
remains unseen will lead to lead to liberation.
(P.75) These
sadhavijis (Jain nuns) know that they experience internal negativities
throughout their day, so what should they do? Every evening they should
mentally recall, the day’s events during which they experienced even the
slightest negative inner feelings for others. Recalling each and every
incident where such a feeling arose, they must do pratikraman and pratyakhyan
for each one, for forty-eight minutes. If they do this then they are on the
path of liberation. But the poor things, they do not do any such thing, so
what can one do? If they were to understand the path to
moksha, they would be on it, but first they need to understand it.
Questioner:
Until they can confess and repent on a one on one basis, they will still
harbor a grudge (internal negativity). So do they need to ask for forgiveness
in person? Dadashri:
There is no need to ask for forgiveness directly from the person with whom the
fault is committed. The Lord has forbidden this. You can only ask someone’s
forgiveness directly, if that person is well meaning and noble. However, if
you attempt to do this with a weak person, he will only throw it back in your
face. The weak person will become weaker. And the entire world is weak. Unless
the person whose forgiveness you seek is good-natured, you must not attempt to
apologize to him personally. A weak person will always retaliate by saying:
“See, I knew all along that you were wrong, but you did not understand. Now
you realize that you were wrong.” – The foolish man! He does not realize
that he is the one at fault and that he is the wretched one in need of
improvement.
(P.76)
The path to liberation does not have any rituals. Rituals are
only present in the worldly life. The worldly life is for those who want
material and physical comforts. For them, rituals are appropriate; but they
are not needed for liberation. What is the path for liberation? It is alochana,
pratikraman and pratyakhyan. These will fuel your vehicle en route to moksha.
This is what I myself have done for countless lives. For so many lives I have
done alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan and my efforts have brought me thus
far. (P.77) There
are two religious doctrines. One is not to do any kashays (anger, false pride,
greed and illusionary conduct) and the other is to do pratikraman.
If kashays happen as a result of your past karmas, you must do
pratikraman. That is dharma(relative religion) and nothing else. It is
precisely these two things that people have eliminated.
If you say something hurtful to anyone, you must do pratikraman. He in
turn must do pratikraman also. What pratikraman should he do? His pratikraman
should be; “I must have erred somewhere in the past which has given this
person the occasion to insult me.” He must do pratikraman for his previous
life’s karma and you must do pratikraman for the present. Only through such
pratikramans-being done at least five hundred times a day- can one attain
liberation It
will be enough to do just this and nothing more. You need not seek any other religion.
I am giving you my guarantee and blessing you for liberation. I will be with
you the entire way, giving you my full support. All that is required of you is
your readiness. If you were to apply any of this in your daily life, it would
be enough.
(P.78) What
does The Science of Akram say? : If a
person has a habit of stealing and I were to ask him in a kind and gentle
manner, whether he steals, he would confess everything to me. I would tell him
that I do not have an objection with his stealing, but that he must regret his
acts and do pratikraman for it.
(P.80)
I
would teach him to do pratikraman in Dada’s name and repent by saying, ‘It
is wrong to steal and I will never steal again.’ Whatever pratikraman he
does will erase the consequences of the stealing(cause karma). he has done in
the past. By doing pratikraman his opinion about stealing will change.
His opinion will not support the act of stealing. He
should continue this pratikraman even if he continues to steal. Only I
understand what happens when one utters such pratikraman. Akram Vignan teaches
us that whatever has occurred cannot be undone, but there is a way to make
things better for the life to come.
(P.81)
Every religion says that you are the ‘doer’ of penance and
renunciations. They tell you to renounce. If you do not,
they say that you are not doing it. To say that ‘you are
not doing it’ is the same as saying that you are the ‘doer’. By saying
this they accept ‘doer-ship’. Even when someone says
that he is not able to renounce anything, it is tantamount to claiming
‘doership’. Any path that accepts or believes in ‘doership’ is the
path of worldly wanderings. In Akram, we do not accept ‘doership’.
None of the literature of Akram prescribes ‘doership’ of any sort. Nowadays,
people are being told to ‘do’ things that are irrelevant and what really
needs to be done is altogether overlooked. Moreover, they are not even
successful in doing the things that they are not supposed to do. It is all a
sheer waste of time and energy. What they really need to do is something
completely different. Really all one needs ‘to do’, is ask for inner
strength (bhaavna). Everything that is taking place now is because of the
strength that was previously asked for.
(P.84)
Questioner:
Everything from our previous lifetime is in the form of this effect, is
it not? Dadashri:
Yes, everything that you have done in the past life has come into
effect in this life. So now ask for strength as a cause for
the next life. Just ask for the strength by saying the Nine Kalams( See at the
end of this book). If we were to write a hundred to two
hundred such kalams, it would incorporate all the scriptures. All
you really have to do is ask for strength and nothing more. If
you want to do something as a doer, then ask for strength. Questioner:
Is it simply a matter of asking for strength? Dadashri:
Yes, because not everyone will seek liberation. However, if
people want to be doers of anything, they should just ask for strength.
Questioner:
This applies only to those who have not acquired Gnan, right?
Dadashri:
Yes, this is applicable to them only. This is for the
people at large because at the moment the path they are taking is completely
wrong and they will never succeed in their endeavors.
(P.85) A
person may want to do something and yet he is prevented from doing so; what
can he do if the effect of his karma works against him? The Lord says that you
must remain in the present and be an observer of all that happens around you.
The Lord did not advocate doing anything, yet people are perpetually griping
about not being able to do something. They constantly complain about their
desire to do things, their efforts to do them and their inability to get
things done. Do you know what effect the constant contemplation of your
inability to do anything has on the relative self? It will turn the relative
self into a stone (without feelings). In spite of this, people carry on with
their rituals and austerities and simultaneously gripe about how difficult
they are to perform.
I tell
people that they should never say, ‘I can not do’, because within them,
they have infinite strength. I tell them to keep repeating the following: ‘I
have infinite strength.’ Until now you kept saying, ‘I
can’t do it’; did the infinite strength within abandon you?
(P.87) Man
is not capable of 'doing' anything. It is not in his nature to do anything.
The control of 'doership' is in the hands of another power. All these living
beings are simply the knowers. Therefore all that you must do is to be the
knower. When you understand this, your falsely held beliefs and opinions
disappear. The opinions you held before that there is no harm in telling lies,
will change. This is the real purushaarth (real knowledge based effort); no
other effort is needed. This is a profound message, which requires profound
thinking. Questioner:
Yes, it is very acceptable.
(P.89) Dadashri:
Even the simple act of going to the bathroom (emptying your bowels) is not
in your hands, so how is it possible for you to do anything? No such man has
yet been born, who has even the slightest power to do anything. All you have
to do is simply to know and make a firm resolution to be the knower only. Once
you understand my words, your work will be done. This is not a simple thing to
grasp. Do you understand this? Is it not better to know than to do something?
Is it easy to do and attain anything? Questioner:
I understand what you mean to say, but surely some things will still need
to be done having understood all that? Just as we do not
possess the power to do anything, do we not also
lack the power to know? Dadashri:
No. One has the power to know. To do is not in one’s power. This
is very subtle, but it will be enough if you
understand just this much. (P.90) A
youngster has turned into a thief. He steals at every
opportunity. He even steals from guests who come to his house. Now what
lesson should we give to this boy? We should tell him to ask Dada Bhagwan (the
Lord within) to give him the strength not to steal. People may question what
good does it do when he continues to steal, even though he asks for the
strength not to. Let him steal as long as he asks for the
strength to not steal. Only I know the effect this remedy has on him.
What do you know about how this medicine works? Questioner:
It is true that people have no idea about how this
medicine works, and that is why they do not understand whether there are any
benefits in asking for the strength. Dadashri:
What is the significance of asking for strength?
Firstly he asks for the strength to stop stealing which means his opinion
about ‘There is nothing wrong in stealing’ has changed to that of:
‘Stealing is wrong and not to steal is right’. By asking for strength he
comes to have the opinion that stealing is wrong. This change of opinion is
the greatest achievement. Once
his opinion changes, he ceases to be nature’s offender. Secondly,
in asking strength from the Lord within, he achieves the ultimate state of
humility. When he earnestly and sincerely asks, "O' Lord, grant me the
strength…", God gives him the strength no matter what. He will grant it
to everyone, but first one must ask and one must also know what to ask for.
Keep asking. You never ask for a thing. Do you understand
why you should ask for strength?
(P.91) Whatever
you need forgiveness for, you must ask for the strength from Dada. Ask for the
strength, but do not use any of your own, lest you run out of it. If you ask
for the strength and use it, you will never run out of it. Moreover, you will
have some left over. How much stock can you have in your own shop? You
should ask Dada for strength in everything. If you fail to do pratikraman, you
must ask for the strength to do proper pratikraman. Ask for all the strengths.
I have as much strength as you need.
(P.92) 6.
The Thorns Vanish And The Blossom Remains
Prakruti(the complex of thoughts, speech and acts) has arisen out
of doer ship and normal action and through atikraman it has
proliferated. This proliferation decreases with pratikraman
and as a result a person will become aware.
(P.101) If
you go to meet a person you think is a Gnani and he turns out to be a phony,
it would be your karma effect. Karma effect is responsible for taking you
there. And if after meeting him, you have negative thoughts
about him, then you will sow new seeds of bad karma. The effect of this causal
karma will be experienced in your next life. You will have to suffer the
consequences of this negative cause in your next life. Thoughts may happen,
but you must do pratikraman for having them, and that will erase you’re the
cause. Remember
to do pratikraman in the name of whichever God you believe in. When
you do your pratikraman, your bhaav should be that it does not matter what the
other person is like, but your thoughts should not be negative. There
is no accountability on your part in saying that someone
is good, when he is good. There is a tremendous accountability in
saying someone is bad
when he or she is not. There is also a liability in saying that someone
is bad, when he is bad. Because in reality a person is never bad, it is his
effect karma that makes him good or bad. He is not at fault, but it is his
circumstances that make him so. So how can you blame him? If
a group of women are passing by and the person you are with makes a comment
about one of them and tells you that she is a prostitute. If you become
prejudiced based on what he says, you will incur a tremendous liability.
The woman has been forced in that predicament by her circumstances; she is
suffering the consequences of her own effect karma. Why must you take on a
liability on her account? She has not become a prostitute of her own will.
No living being likes to be degraded. It is a
circumstance that initially drives a person to do something, but later it
becomes a habit with him or her. Nevertheless initially it was circumstances
that drove them to do so.
(P.102) Questioner:
Are the people who are not Self-realized, able to see only certain kinds
of faults? Dadashri:
I tell them they should learn to ask for forgiveness for their faults.
Whatever faults they perceive in themselves, they should ask for forgiveness.
They should never condone their fault; otherwise the fault will double. Ask
for forgiveness after you do something wrong. Questioner:
How should those who are not Self-Realized do pratikraman when they see their
own faults? Dadashri:
There are some people who despite not having this
knowledge, are very sharp and have a keen awareness of the faults. They
understand what pratikraman is and they do it. Others are not included in
this, but we still need to tell them to repent.
(P.104) What
happens in the process of pratikraman? It is when the Self
puts pressure on the ‘relative’ self. Atikraman is the process whereby the
'Real' becomes suppressed. When the karma is an
atikraman, and you support it, a new setback will occur. It is a fault
if you do not accept something wrong as wrongh. So pratikraman is very
necessary.
(P.105) Questioner:
What if the other person does not forgive me for my atikraman despite my
pratikraman? Dadashri:
Do not be concerned about the other person forgiving you. The atikraman
tendencies within you must go. You must become an opponent of atikraman. That
is how it should be. Questioner:
What if the other person continues to be hurt? Dadashri:
Do not be concerned about the other person. Be firm in your
conviction that you are an adversary of atikraman. It is not your wish to do
atikraman but if it happens, you should feel remorse and your intent should be
that you do not want it to happen again.
(P.106) Pratikraman
is to be done to destroy your opinions and to show that you are not endorsing
atikraman. Pratikraman is to be done to show your opposition towards any
aggression. Do you understand? Questioner:
If it is just a part of discharge, effect of karma, then why must one do
pratikraman? Dadashri:
Everything is discharge. Everything. Pratikraman is only for the atikraman
done, and not for anything else. If you do not do pratikraman, your innate
nature and tendencies will never change. Do you understand? Unless
you oppose it, it will never become exposed and that opinion will stay with
you. If you become angry,
you must do pratikraman because you do not wish to support your anger. If you
fail to do pratikraman, it would mean that you are in favor of your anger. You
become free from your faults in this way. This allows you to shed your karmas.
There should be a means to express your defiance towards your anger. Do
you want anger to become a part of you or do you want to be rid of it? Questioner:
I want to get rid of it. Dadashri:
If you want to get rid of it, then you must do pratikraman for it. Only then,
can you maintain that you are opposed to your anger. Otherwise, it would be
you would be in support of your anger.
(P.109)
What does pratikraman mean? It means
to become lighter and feel freer. If the same fault were to occur again, the
person would feel very uneasy from within. People in general keep multiplying
their faults. Have
you witnessed a real pratikraman where your fault has gone or
decreased? Questioner:
Nowhere else. Just here. Dadashri:
You will only be able to do pratikraman when, after Gnan, you will realize
from within that a fault has occurred. Until then, you will not. After taking
this Gnan, you will be more aware of your atikraman and you will immediately
do pratikraman and automatically wash away your faults. This process will
continue to take place systematically. Once these faults
are cleared, the other person will not feel any negativity towards you.
Otherwise when you meet the other person again, there will be a sense of
separation from him and awareness of the presence of an internal rift.
(P.112) Questioner:
How are we to wash away our paap(demerit) karmas?
Dadashri:
As many stains (effect of hurting others, revealed within and without) that
appear from your paap karma, you must do that many pratikraman. If a stain is
stubborn, then it will need to be washed over and over again. Questioner:
How can you tell whether that stain is gone or not? Dadashri:
You will know when your mind becomes clean. Your face will glow. Natural smile
will take hold.Will you not know then that the stain is gone? And even if the
stain has not gone, there is no problem. All you have to do is continue with
your pratikraman. Keep scrubbing away with the soap of pratikraman. Do you
understand what paap is? Questioner:
It is paap when one does not comply with Dada’s Agnas. Dadashri:
No it is not that. That is not paap. Paap is when you hurt others, whether it
is a tree, a human or an animal, or any living being. To
pick leaves from a tree unnecessarily, is a sin because the tree also
perceives pain. By
not following my Agnas, you will be the one to suffer, whereas paap karma
hurts others. It is a sin when you hurt others, therefore you should
not inflict even the slightest pain on others.
When you do pratikraman, your clothes will become cleaner.
Why leave dirt on your clothes when Dada has given you such a simple
solution? Why not use it and get your clothes radiantly clean?
Whenever you hurt someone even slightly, you must accept the fault as
your own. You will know that you have hurt him because you will feel uneasy
from within. You can see that the other person’s mistake is evident because
he is suffering, but you too are at fault
because you became instrumental in his suffering. Dada does not have any
suffering because he no longer has any faults. So if someone is hurt by your
actions, you must immediately do pratikraman and erase that fault. Also if
someone else commits a fault because of you, you have to do pratikraman.
(P.113) Questioner:
I never got much out of doing pratikraman as prescribed in the
kramic(traditional path of liberation involving rituals, penance, recitation
of scriptures etc) path, but when I do the pratikraman as shown in Akram
Vignan, I feel as light as a flower. Dadashri:
But those are not pratikramans in any case. They were all pratikraman done in
ignorance and without any understanding. Pratikraman means that your faults
must decrease right away. Pratikraman means to track back whatever distance
you have traveled in the wrong direction. But when people do pratikraman, not
only do they fail to do this, but they also continue to walk further in that
wrong direction. How can that be called pratikraman?
(P114)
From now on, if you encounter any internal conflict, they will not
become further complicated, because you will inevitably think of Dada and the
practical science of Akram will be there to relieve you of all conflicts. I
caution you not to make mistakes and if ever you happen to do so, you must
continue to do pratikraman. Now you have the understanding
of the implications of your mistakes. Elsewhere people are tired of listening
to the same old preaching of ‘Be truthful, do not steal, be kind etc.’
Do not sleep on your mistakes. If you become of any conflict within,
you must clear it before sleep overcomes you. If you cannot clear this
conflict, you should simply do pratikramans. You should ask for forgiveness
because you are the one feeling disturbed. In this way, you will succeed in
finding a solution; otherwise these mistakes will continue to occur all the
time. Forgiveness is the greatest weapon.
(P.116) When
you scold someone, do you ever stop to think how you would feel if someone
were to scold you? You should consider this before you
scold anyone. To think about the other person and to put
yourself in his shoes is the mark of a human ego, whereas being inconsiderate
and getting into a disagreement with him and thinking only about yourself when
you interact with him, is a bestial ego.
(P.116) If
someone points out your mistakes, you should tell Chandulal (your relative
self) that he (Chandulal) must indeed have made a mistake, and that is why it
is being pointed out to him. Why else would someone bring it to his attention?
People in general would not say anything without reason, so naturally he must
have done something wrong. Tell Chandubhai to do pratikraman when he hurts
anyone. If you want liberation, you can no longer afford to do as you please.
(P.118)
You have no right to see faults in others, Chandulal. If you do, you
must do pratikraman. Chandulal is adept at seeing faults of others. It is
nothing new. This habit does not break very easily, but through pratikraman it
does eventually cease. When you see faults in others, you must immediately do
pratikraman. That means shoot-on- sight pratikraman. Questioner:
I am not yet able to do the kinds of pratikraman that are called for. Dadashri:
You must make the firm resolution of what you really want to accomplish. Questioner:
Would that not involve the ego of doership? What is meant by this firm
resolution? Dadashri:
This is merely the use of words. The resolution is
internal. Questioner:
Many of the mahatmas are under the impression that they do not have to do a
thing, including resolution. Dadashri:
No, if they were to ask me, I would tell them that resolution means a firm
decision. It means that when you undertake something, you do it in precisely a
certain way and no other. This is the case with pratikramans.
(P.119) Questioner:
I am unable to do shoot-on-sight pratikraman when I am under stress, and
sometimes it not until the evening that I realize that I had made a mistake.
Can those mistakes be erased even though pratikraman is done much
later? Would that still resolve everything? Dadashri:
Yes even if it occurs to you later on, you must do pratikraman. If you do
something wrong, you must do pratikraman:
If it is not possible to do it immediately, do it after a couple of
hours or even at night. You can also do pratikraman after a week for all the
faults committed throughout the week. Just do them collectively all at once. Questioner:
But it should be done immediately, right? Dadashri:
There is nothing better than immediate pratikraman. Most of our mahatmas do
shoot-on-sight pratikraman.
(P.120) Questioner:
Sometimes, even while I contemplate Dada, or do aarti, my mind wanders and I
lose track of my thoughts for a while and I begin to sing something entirely
different, but eventually I do come back to the present.
Dadashri:
When that happens, you must do pratikraman. When you have thoughts, it matters
little as long as you are able to recognize that they belong to
‘Chandubhai’. If you can perceive this, then you and Chandulal become two
separate entities. Your mind wanders because your awareness becomes a little
dim. Questioner:
I am not at all aware during such a time. Dadashri:
Then you must do pratikraman for your loss of awareness. ‘Dada Bhagwan
forgive me'. Questioner:
Sometimes I realize very late that I have to do pratikraman, and that I have
to do pratikraman for certain people. Dadashri:
But you do eventually remember do you not? You need to spend more time in
satsang and ask about everything in detail. This is a science and it requires
your full comprehension.
It is not easy to see you own fault. I illuminate everything for you.
You must first have your aware attentiveness to faults, and the desire
to see your faults. It is like bringing up your hand in
order to eat. Would the food go into your mouth by just wishing for it? Some
kind of an effort has to be made on your part.
It is natural for humans to err, but how can they escape from this?
Only a Gnani Purush can show you how and it is through pratikraman.
(P.121)
Pratikraman is occurring naturally and spontaneously from within.
People ask if this is true. I tell them that I have
placed a special ‘machine’ inside them, which starts the process.
Everything is ready as long as you are earnest about it. Questioner:
That is true Dada the pratikraman is going on automatically.
Furthermore this science is such that there is no more hatred.
(P.123) Questioner:
This person is asking why can he not do pratikraman? Dadashri:
He does not realize that it is indeed happening within him, but when he says
that he cannot do it, the machinery stops and the process comes to a halt.
Whatever your prayers, such will be your worship. If you say pratikramans are
indeed beneficial and happening they will happen. If you say they are of no
benefit, not necessary etc., they will stop. The pratikraman will start after
some time. Questioner:
I do not like it when I hurt someone, but that’s as far as it goes.
I do not do any pratikraman. Dadashri:
The ‘machinery’ within us, works according to our instructions. If
you say you cannot do something, then you will not be able to do it. If you
tell yourself you are tired of doing pratikraman then the ‘machinery’ will
also become sluggish. It is ‘Chandubhai’ who is doing the pratikraman and
he is the one who is supposed to do it. All you have to do is keep saying that
you are able to do pratikraman and before you know it, you too will be doing
five hundred or more pratikramans a day.
(P.123)
Whenever possible try to do 'shoot-on-sight' pratikraman, as soon as
the mistake is made. Failing that, do pratikraman collectively in the evening.
Through the latter, however, you might forget a few of your mistakes. Who is
going to take care of those? So your responsibility is to do shoot-on-sight
pratikraman.
(P.124)
Know that your ticket for liberation has arrived when you begin to see
your own faults. Generally people cannot see their own faults, including these
monks and religious teachers. Not to be able to perceive one’s own fault is
the greatest of all shortcomings. This Science is such that it gives you an
unbiased judgement by uncovering and disclosing all your faults. It uncovers
them for you. Sometimes it may do so after they occur. Whatever happens
happens, but at least realize your mistakes.
(P.127)
7. Thus The Business Runs Clean. Questioner:
If you set Chandulal free, then he is likely to do anything at whim! Dadashri:
No. That is why I have emphasized vyavasthit. You
cannot change anything at all for this current life, the life in which I am
giving you vyavasthit. Vyavasthit cannot be changed at all.
So in giving you this knowledge of vyavasthit, you cannot change a
single thing in this life. This is why I am setting you free. I can see all
this in my Gnan, so I do not need to reprimand you, for any of your effects.
You are not held accountable for just this life. Questioner:
Can one charge interest on money one lends? Dadashri:
If Chandulal wants to claim interest, let him do so, but tell him he will have
to do pratikraman for it.
(P 130)
If you have lent some money to a person and he is not returning it,
your pratikraman will affect the other person positively and he will be
inspired to return your money. Generally, people create havoc and curse their
debtors who demand payment. Would this not create a negative karma? People
make matters worse. The entire world is effective. And that
is why you have to do pratikraman for the person who is refusing to return
your money. Questioner:
If you do pratikraman for the borrower, will he not continue to borrow? Dadashri:
It is not a question of whether he will ask to borrow from you or not. The
important thing here is not to let any attachment or abhorrence occur. The
borrowing may still continue.
(P131)
If a person wants to be happy in this world but he does not care about
religion, I would tell him that he should be honest and be ethical. Then, he
does not need to go to a temple. Giving to others is a
godly quality. To avoid that which does not belong to you is a human quality.
Honesty is the highest religion. Dishonesty is the best foolishness. It is
not possible to be honest all the time, but if one understands that it is
wrong to be dishonest and does pratikraman for it, then his next life will be
happy. A person is surely honest when he repents.
If you have a disagreement with your associate in any worldly endeavor
and you realize that you have said more than you should have, then you should
immediately do pratikraman.
(P134)
If your bank manager refuses you a loan, you will begin to dislike him
and have negative thoughts towards him. You should realize that the mistake is
yours, so you should wash it off by doing pratikraman. This
is what I call awareness.
I will explain to you how obstacles in life come about. If you call a
person who works for you, an idiot, this becomes an obstacle for your own
commonsense. Obstacles created in this way, trap the entire world and the
human life goes to waste. You have no right to tell anyone
that he has no sense. If you do this, that person may retort by calling you an
idiot and create an obstacle for himself. Similarly if you
call someone unworthy, you are creating an obstacle to your own self worth.
Now tell me how can this world be saved from such obstacles? If you do
pratikraman immediately, then you will be able to wash away these obstacles
before they become impossible to remove. Questioner:
In my work, in order to accomplish certain deadlines, I have insulted and
mistreated many people. Dadashri:
You must do pratikraman for them all. When you
mistreated them, you were only fulfilling your duty. You did not do it for
yourself therefore your intention was not bad.
(P.135) 8.
Freedom From Human Bondage Questioner:
What must we do to be free from the relations of previous lives that are now
in front of us? Dadashri:
If you are forced to live with someone you do not like, then on the outside
you should continue your worldly relationship with that person and from within
you must do pratikraman in his name. The suffering for you
in this life is the effect of your atikraman from your past life. What were
the causes behind your suffering today? In your previous life you did
atikraman against that person and as a result in this life you have to suffer
the consequences. If you do pratikraman now, in the
presence of whichever God you worship, you will erase your mistakes.
Repeated pratikramans will wipe off the many errors that have been
caused in these sticky relationships.
If a man dislikes his wife, he will see many faults in her and will
harp on her negative points. This constant fault finding leads to abhorrence.
This abhorrence results in fear. He will experience fear in certain
interactions with her. So when he sees her he feels a sense of suffocation and
bondage. We all tend to be afraid of those or that which we dislike intensely.
All this is the result of abhorrence. To break free from this feeling of
contempt, one has to keep asking for forgiveness. Even
though the other person may not be aware of it, you have to continue asking
for forgiveness from within.
(P.141)
Life is nothing but a play. In a play if you assume that your wife and
children of they play are yours to take home, will it be appropriate? It is
fine if you say, ‘This is my son Shataayu’, but say it as you would in a
drama. The reason you have to do pratikramans is because you have taken all
these relatives as real. You must do pratikraman because all along you have
acted as if they are really your children and wife. If you did not have this
belief then pratikraman would not be necessary. With this belief comes
attachment and abhorrence and with pratikraman you are liberated. Dada shows
you how to do the alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan that will liberate
you.
(P.142)
No one has the power to bother anyone and no one has the power to
endure. Everyone is merely a puppet going about his or her business on the
stage of this world. With pratikraman these puppets learn to live in peace and
harmony. No matter how insane the other person may be, he will come to his
senses through your pratikraman.
(P.143) If
you do not get along at all with a person, if you do
pratikraman for him all day long and for several days, you will be able to get
along with him and he will seek your company. All strife and bitterness is
because of your atikraman faults.
(P.144) Questioner:
Sometimes I feel unappreciated and disheartened. I feel
that no matter how much I do for that person, he keep insulting me. Dadashri:
You must do his pratikraman. This is the way of the world. There are so
many different kinds of people who will hold you back from your liberation. Questioner:
What should that pratikraman be for?
The world will not allow anyone to be libearated. The bondage of this
life effects is such that only pratikraman can release you. For this reason,
Lord Mahavir has given us alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan in just one
sentence. There is no way out. When is one able to do pratikraman correctly?
It is when he attains the knowledge of the Real Self from a Gnani
Purush. With this knowledge you become aware of the Self,
and this awareness will allow you to do pratikraman and be released from the
burden of any liability.
(P.145) Questioner:
How can you restore the trust you had for someone who has betrayed you? Dadashri:
You must repent for all the times you have harbored negative thoughts for
him. If you have lost faith in him, you have to repent for any ill thoughts
about him. Only then will things be settled. That is why pratikraman is so
necessary.
(P.146) 9.
Pratikramans In Varying Situations Questioner:
How can we tell if the other person is hurt? Dadashri:
You will immediately see it on his face. The sparkle in
his eyes will have disappeared and his face will appear gloomy. Of course you
will be able to tell whether or not he has been affected. It will be all too
obvious. Questioner:
Yes. Dadashri:
Man has the capability to perceive what has happened to the other person. Questioner:
But some people are so good that they hide their true feelings and
never give anything away through their expressions. Dadashri:
Even then you will know that you have said some hurtful things, and
that it is bound to hurt him. And for that you must do pratikraman. If you
said something hurtful, will you not know that it would hurt him? Questioner:
Yes I would know it. Dadashri:
You are not doing pratikraman for him. You are actually doing this to
change your previous opinions. What is pratikraman? It reverses from your past
opinions. By doing pratikraman, the effect your words may have had on him, is
erased instantly. Just keep in mind that you want to settle
your interaction with him with equanimity and his mind will also
improve through it. If however you are determined to get your way only, his
mind will react in the same way, with as much hostility.
(P.151). Questioner:
What do you call it when after treating someone with contempt you feel guilt? Dadashri:
If you feel remorse, you will break the habit of contempt. However, if you
feel no remorse and on the contrary feel good about yourself and your deed,
know that it is a sign of going to hell. You must have remorse after doing
something wrong. Questioner:
What should we do if we have hurt someone so badly that he is depressed? Dadashri:
Do pratikraman. And if you happen to meet that person, you must tell him
in person that the mistake was all yours and that you were insensitive. Tell
him that you are sincerely sorry and that you are asking for his forgiveness.
His wounds will heal when you say this. Questioner:
What should we do in order not to suffer the effects of behaving
contemptuously towards others in the past? Dadashri:
For acts of contempt there is no other solution but to do repeated
pratikramans. You have to keep on doing pratikraman until that person comes
around. And if you happen to meet him face to face, then
you should speak to him nicely and ask for forgiveness. Say
to him: “I have made a very big mistake. I am a complete fool. I
have no sense.” When you discredit yourself, the other person feels better
and his hurt will lessen. I
can see the effect of contempt from previous lives; therefore I am telling you
not to have contempt towards anyone. Do not mistreat people. If you treat
manual workers with contempt, they will revenge in their next life. They may
even become a snake and bite you to avenge themselves. Contempt will never
free you from its grip. Only pratikraman can save you. Questioner:
If we have made someone miserable beyond words and hurt him deeply to the
point where we cannot remove his pain, will we bind karmas even if we do
pratikraman? Dadashri:
You must continue to do the pratikraman in his name with as much intensity
as the pain you caused him.
(P.155)
A judge asked me whether or not he should give a death penalty, now
that he had attained the Gnan from Dada. I asked him what other choice he had.
He wanted to know whether he would still bind karma if he were to
confer a death sentence on someone. I asked him whether he was the Pure Self
or Chandulal, and he replied that he was the Pure Self.
Then I told him, if you are the Pure Self, then whatever Chandulal
does, is done by Chandulal, at Chandulal’s risk and responsibility. It is
entirely up to you. If you want the burden of responsibility of the death
penalty, you are Chandulal. I do not have any problem with that. I warned him
not to be a partner in crime and gave him a way to resolve his dilemma. I told
him to beseech in prayer: “ Oh Dada Bhagwan, why do I have to deal with such
an unpleasant task?” and to do pratikraman for it. I counseled him to
continue with his line of work as prescribed by the laws.
(P.157) Questioner:
Since we rid ourselves of our faults by doing pratikraman, would this
not give people the right to do as they please? Dadashri:
No, you do not have to look at it that way. The importance is given to
pratikraman. You are free, free from your responsibility when you do
pratikraman.
(P.158)
Sometimes, very rarely, I myself end up hurting people. It happens
against my will. Within the past twenty years, I may have hurt two or three
people. I however, followed it up with my pratikramans, constructing a
fortress around them so that they would not suffer a spiritual fall. A person
should not fall from the place where I have put him. I give him all the
support and protection and then let go of him gently, once he is stable.
My principle is to go as far as to change the course of a highway to
protect a newly planted sapling from harm. In the same way I would never allow
anyone to come to harm.
(P.159) Questioner:
If someone does something wrong to us and he comes to ask for
forgiveness, we forgive him. We have forgiven him. What if he keeps doing the
same thing over and over again, what should we do? Dadashri:
Try as best as you can to explain to him in a gentle and kind manner.
There is no other way because you do not have any control over the matter. You
have no choice other than to forgive him. If you do not forgive, you will end
up forgiving after more suffering. There is no other way. You have to make him
understand and you should try to make him see his error. If he changes his
internal intent and recognizes that it is wrong for him to hurt you, your work
is done. His hurting you is an effect for him.
(P.160)
How much good would it do you to know that your son has pilfered some
loose change from your wallet while running an errand for you? You must accept
him the way he is. Can you throw him out and find another son?
(P.161) Questioner:
Do we need to do pratikraman more often or would it suffice to do
it just once, for the karma created during a prolonged period of conflict
where there was an exchange of a lot of words? Dadashri:
Do as many individual pratikramans as you can, and then do
collective pratikramans. If too many pratikramans
accumulate, do them all at once. “Oh Dada Bhagwan, I am doing the
pratikraman simultaneously for all the faults I have committed”. Then it
will be all over.
(P.166)
I guarantee that you will attain full liberation in only three
lifetimes, provided that you stop the conflict with others. If the conflicts
occur, you must do pratikraman. Conflicts occur between two pudagals(effective
complexes of thoughts, speech and acts) and these conflicts can be dissolved
with pratikraman.
If the other person is dividing then you should be multiplying,
so that there will be no remainder. To blame others for saying anything to you
that hurts you is your fault. Why do you not blame the wall
when you bump into it? Questioner:
Give me an example of gross, subtle, very subtle and the extremely subtle
forms of conflict. What is a subtle conflict? Dadashri:
Subtle conflict for example would be that which you have with your father. Questioner:
Like what? Dadashri:
Do you fight? Questioner:
No. Dadashri:
That is a subtle conflict. Questioner:
Does it have anything to do with the mind? Does verbal conflict also come
under subtle? Dadashri:
No verbal is gross conflict. Subtle conflict is that which the other
person cannot see. Questioner:
How can we avoid such subtle conflicts? Dadashri:
First you must tackle the gross conflict, then the subtle, then the very
subtle and finally the extremely subtle conflicts. Questioner:
What is an example of a very subtle conflict? Dadashri:
This applies only to the one who is Self-Realized. If
you slap someone and a person who is Self-realized happens to witness it. The
Self realized person maintains the awareness of the Self, and sees that it was
vyavasthit for the other person to receive the slap. If even for an instant he
sees you or the other person as being at fault, this would
be considered a very subtle fault or conflict. Questioner:
Please explain that to me again. I did not understand. Dadashri:
For you who have taken this Gnan of the Self, to see faults of others is
very subtle conflict or fault. Questioner:
So when we look at others’ faults, it is very subtle conflict? Dadashri:
No that’s not it. Very subtle conflict is to see others’ faults, even when
you have attained the conviction through Gnan that no one is at fault. How can
you see faults in person when he is in reality the pure Self? You should have
an awareness of these very subtle faults. Questioner:
So does that include all these mental conflicts? Dadashri:
All that belongs to subtle conflicts. Questioner:
So what is the difference between the two? Dadashri:
This all goes beyond the realm of the mind. Questioner:
Mental conflict and those faults. …. Dadashri:
That does not belong to the mind. The very faults are beyond the mind. Questioner:
Does it mean that where there is very subtle conflict, subtle conflict is also
present? Dadashri:
You do not have to be concerned about that. They are all different. The
extremely subtle conflict or fault comes last. Questioner:
It was mentioned once during satsang that when we become engrossed with our
relative self (Chandulal), it is considered an extremely subtle conflict.
Dadashri:
Yes. That is the extremely subtle fault. Such fault should be avoided. You
will inadvertently become engrossed with your relative self, but eventually
you will realize that mistake. Questioner:
Although we say in our prayer that we do not wish for any temporary
worldly things and that all we want is the experience of the Self, our
relative self still becomes engrossed in the worldly matters. Is
that not an extremely subtle conflict?
Dadashri:
Yes. Questioner:
Is there any other remedy available or is pratikraman the only cure for
this? Dadashri:
There is no other weapon.
(P.172) Questioner:
But Dada when we have to do pratikraman, is that not our ego? Dadashri:
No. ‘You’ the pure Self, do not have to do pratikraman. It is Chandulal
who is at fault and so he is the one that must do pratikraman. The pure Self
is simply the knower and has never erred. This worldly life is a consequence
of atikraman.The ego and the intellect together are responsible for atikraman.
(P.173) 11.
Purushaarth Against One’s Negative Qualities… Not a
single lifetime has gone by without raag(attachment). People continue to do
raag-dwesh(abhorrence) until the moment they become Self-realized. Besides
these two there is nothing else. Questioner:
Dada, abhorrence results from attachment, does it not? Dadashri:
Yes it is the result of attachment. When you become overly
attached to someone, you will experience abhorrence towards him later.
Anything that is done in excess will lead to an initial dislike and then
abhorrence. When anything exceeds its limit, we start
disliking it. Excess dislike is abhorrence. Do you understand? Questioner:
Yes I understand. Dadashri:
You must understand that whatever you encounter are your own reactions,
effect of causes. When you greet someone with a lot of respect but he appears
to be sulking, you should understand that it is because of your own previous
cause. So you must do pratikraman. Generally people will respond by sulking in
return. And the cycle of attachment abhorrence carries on. Now that you have
received this Gnan, you must accept your mistakes and settle the case with
equanimity. As a Gnani Purush I accept all the mistakes.
(P.174) Questioner:
What can we do to stop feelings of jealousy after this Gnan? Dadashri:
There are two ways to deal with that. One is that when you experience such
feelings you must repent. The other is that the feelings of
jealousy are the result or effect from your previous life and they just
happen. You do not make them happen. These
feelings will disappear provided that you do not accept them as yours and
become involved with them. Just be aware of the traits of jealousy happening
within and remain seaparate. If however, you become jealous then you have to
pratikraman Questioner:
I do not want to harbor any suspicion for anyone, yet it happens. How can
I stop this , Dada? Dadashri:
You must see the Pure Self of the person whom you have suspicions for,
and ask for forgiveness. You should do pratikraman. These doubts that
you feel come from the mistakes from your previous lifetime.
(P.176)
You are walking alone at night and you get suspicious about a risk of
being mugged. This suspicion spoils everything. Take the necessary precautions
but do simultaneous pratikramans. If you harbor suspicions, things may go
wrong. Do not allow yourself to become suspicious of any living being.
Suspicion brings suffering. If you do nothing to dismiss your doubts, they
will consume you.
When you feel doubt, you must make Chandulal do pratikraman. You
are the Lord of this universe, so why must you have any doubts? It is human
nature to have doubts, but you must do instant pratikraman for this mistake.
(P.177)
When you become aware of the slightest thought, good or bad, about
anyone, you must erase it immediately. If these thoughts are allowed to
linger, they will reach the other person and proliferate. They can grow in a
matter of hours and continue for days. You should not allow your vibrations to
flow in this way.
Seventy five percent of the effects of the deeds done in this life are
destroyed with pratikraman. When you do pratikraman, your karma will become
weak like a burnt rope, with its cinders intact, and will disintegrate at the
slightest jolt. In your next life all you will have to do is shake off the
cinders. Every act done in this life is an effect. Within it unknown to the
doer of the act are the causes of next life. These causes give their results
as effects in next life. For negative acts performed in this life, pratikraman
changes the causes within, and therefore the desired result is the effect in
the next life.
(P.180) 12.
Destroying Addiction With Gnan Questioner:
I am addicted to the bad habit of smoking. What should I do? Dadashri:
Maintain within that this smoking is totally wrong. Furthermore never
defend the act of smoking in any manner. If you do, it will only serve to
reinforce and protect your habit. Admit that you have a weakness and that it
is a bad habit. Only then there will come a time when you will be able to
break free from this addition. If you do not, then this addiction will stay
with you forever.
I do pratikraman also. One must become free from all
opinions held within. It is not acceptable to have an opinion of any kind. By
doing pratikraman one attains the ultimate thing. Technically
pratikraman is required but scientifically it is not necessary. Questioner:
How is it scientific? Dadashri:
Scientifically it is all a discharge. Everything that happens is an effect
of past life causes.You have separated totally from Chandulal after this Gnan.
So why then does one need to do pratikraman? The state of separation
does not remain because of the lack of exact awareness of the separation.
Pratikraman erases old negative opinions. If pratikraman is not done,
all opinions that have become ingrained within you will not leave. By doing
pratikraman, you are distancing yourself from these opinions.
The mind is composed and constructed through opinions. So as many
opinions you have, that much of a mind you will have.
I do not have any objection to your addiction, but you must do
pratikraman for it. Confess to God that it is wrong for you to drink, you are
sincerely sorry for the act and ask for the strength to not drink again. Do
this much for your own sake. People
generally make matters worse by raising objections and criticizing the one who
is an addict. All I have to say is that it does not matter
how grave a mistake has been made, but you must do pratikraman for it.
(P.186). Questioner:
This morning, Dada, you said that before drinking tea you do
pratyakhyan( I will never do it again) Dadashri:
Ah Yes! Questioner:
Since we were on the subject, I had to mention this. Dadashri:
‘I’( The Self) do not drink tea, but sometimes circumstances
lead me(A.M.Patel) to do so. These circumstances are not under my control and
so I am forced to drink tea. But I (A.M. Patel) do not drink without doing
pratyakhan first, otherwise the one who likes tea will continue. Pratyakhyan
is like smearing oil on a surface so that nothing will adhere to it.
This is worth understanding. Do pratyakhyan whenever you do all these
acts which do not hurt others, like drinking tea etc. Pratikraman
should be done whenever atikraman has occurred. Drinking
tea is not considered atikraman. You are compelled to drink tea and that would
not be considered atikraman, but if you do not do pratyakhyan, then a little
of it will ‘stick’ to you. From now on remember to do pratyakhyan.
(P.187).
I have very rare times of physical suffering. There
was an entire month after my car accident, when it seemed that this light was
going to extinguish. Questioner:
Nothing like that is going to happen Dada. Dadashri:
No. But did Hiraba(Dada’s wife) not pass away? Would
the same not befall this body? What kind of karma was it
that it brought physical suffering? Questioner:
The karma of physical suffering. Dadashri:
People assume that I have been suffering, but I am not affected by any
suffering. Nor does it affect the Tirthankaras.
I felt no sorrow when Hiraba passed away. I am not
affected by anything. People think that I experience grief
and sorrow, but sorrow has never touched me for the last twenty years, not
even for a moment. And that is precisely the Science that I
am giving you. If you do not experience the bliss of this
science in exactness then you there is a mistake on your part. If you
understand this Science, you will not face any suffering. Questioner:
Dada Bhagwan is immune to the karma of suffering, but it would affect
Ambalalbhai? Dadashri:
No. Neither one is affected. That is the power of this Science. One would
go insane if it affected him. Suffering is there because of the absence of
knowledge. If the knowledge prevails, it would not affect even this file
(Chandulal). It does not affect anyone. Suffering is where
there is no knowledge. How could there be any suffering if
you know this Gnan? Where Gnan is, there is no pleasure or pain.
(P.190). 13.
Liberation From Artadhyana and Raudradhyana Questioner:
It is said that two forms of adverse mediations are constantly happening:
artadhyan and raudradhyan. Please explain the difference between the two. Dadashri:
Artadhyana involves only you. It occurs when you suffer silently without
anyone’s knowledge. Raudradhyan is when you suffer and others also suffer
because of for your internal state. A
person who is not Self-Realized will experience adverse meditation of the
type, which affects him only. He believes that everything is happening, is
happening to him. him. Examples are: He may start worrying about his
daughter’s marriage when she is only five years old, or the welfare of his
family if he were to die. To worry, to be confused and puzzled about oneself
is considered artadhyan.
(P.190)
Adverse meditation that affects others is raudradhyan. Here one blames
others for his predicament. To think negatively of others
or to cheat them or wish them harm, is all raudradhyan. For
example a cloth merchant cheats his customers by stretching the material when
he measures it. From the moment he decides to cheat his
customers, he is guilty of raudradhyan.
(P.191)
If a person has committed severe raudradhyan, he can turn it into
artadhyan by doing pratikraman. If two people are guilty of the same kind of
raudradhyan where they both have expressed words to kill someone, their inner
state for violence is raudradhyan. If one of them goes home and sincerely
repents for having such a destructive bhaav, his raudradhyan will become
artadhyan while the other will continue his raudradhyan.
Through repentance, raudradhyan can be changed to
artadhyan. With repentance one can be diverted from a birth in hell to a birth
in the animal kingdom. With further intense repentance one
can turn raudradhyan into dharmadhyan. Actions and events may not change, but
changes are taking place from within.
(P.193) Questioner:
When I remain separate and make ‘Chandulal’ do
pratikraman, what is it called? Dadashri:
You are the pure Self now, but this complex of thoughts, speech and acts
must be such that it does not hurt others. If you do not make it do
pratikraman, it will not be free from errors. You need to engage it into the
state of dharmadhyan. It cannot attain shukladhyan (the
state of the Self), so you must engage it in dharmadhyan. You must make it do
pratikramans continuously. Pratikraman must be done as many
times as artadhyan occurs. Artadhyan occurs because of
ignorance in your past life and for that you must do pratikraman. Artadhyan
is an effect. (P.
194). Questioner:
Is it considered artadhyan or raudradhyan when we see faults in others? Dadashri:
Yes. A person will see faults in others if that
is the kind of baggage he has brought with him from his previous life. The
Self is faultless and does not see fault in others. He must do pratikraman
when he sees faults in others. That is all he has to do. Everything
he does in this life is the discharge of the baggage he has brought with him
from his previous life.
(P.199)
For instance, if someone knocks on your door in the middle of the night
and when you check to see who it is, you see a friend of yours with a group of
ten to twelve otherse, would you not open the door? Questioner:
Yes I would. Dadashri:
What would you tell them? Would you tell them to go away because it is so
late? Questioner:
Of course not. How could I do that? Dadashri:
Well then what would you say? Questioner:
I would invite them in. Dadashri:
You would invite them in. You have been brought up with good value system
so you would invite them into your home. You carry away
your sleeping child to make room on the sofa for them. You do all this but in
your mind you are thinking what a nuisance it is that they come visiting at
such an inappropriate time. When you do this, it is raudradhyan, not
artadhyan. Artadhyan means to suffer the consequences
within only. But in this case, one takes on the problem of the guests and
starts additional adverse meditation, and blames them for the problem. This is
the spoiling of your internal bhaav towards your guests. You are blaming them
for visiting you so late in the night. On
the outside, however you continue your appearance of being cordial. After they
are seated, you ask them if they would like some tea. Your friend says that
they would all prefer a simple hot meal instead. You now think to yourself,
just wait until the wife hears this. She's going to stew you in the kitchen.
She also starts raudradhyan.
What is the Lord’s Agna? What should people who want liberation do?
We live in such a terrible time cycle that influences our bhaav
negatively, so that in such circumstances it is natural to have a bhaav like,
‘Why are they here at this hour?’ All the prevailing circumstances in such
a time, lead even the most noble of men to have such a bhaav.
Why are you creating such a cause from within, when on the outside you
portray an image of graciousness? Your welcoming them nicely is an effect.
Through your bhaav, however, you are sowing new seeds, which will give its
effect in the next life. With your negative bhaav, you are creating a new
account. When
faced with such a situation, you must ask God for forgiveness and admit your
mistake. Do not worry about changing anything, but as long
as you do pratikraman and erase you mistakes, you will be doing the right
thing for your next life.
These strange times will indeed pressure you to act in an ambiguous
and contradictory manner. Even those who seem to have control over their
senses fail in this respect. If you erase it with pratikraman, you will reap
its benefits in the next life.
(P205) Questioner:
Within an hour some twenty-five atikramans happen. Dadashri:
Do the pratikraman for them collectively then. Questioner:
How do I go about doing that? What should I say? Dadashri:
Confess that you have committed so many atikramans and that you are doing
pratikraman for them all collectively. Specify your topic, for example your
faults related to harsh speech, or anger etc., and for each topic say that you
are doing pratikraman collectively. Everything will be resolved this way. If
you cannot complete your pratikraman, you will be able to do so later. Just do
not sleep on it and procrastinate or else you will forgo all of them entirely.
You do not need to complicate the matter.
(P.211) 14.
Release From Bondage Of Inner Enemies Questioner:
If someone makes us very angry and we lash out, and then we continue to
feel internal turmoil. Here, should we do pratikramans more
than once? Dadashri:
If you do pratikraman wholeheartedly and sincerely for a few
times, everything will be resolved. For example, say, ‘ Dear Dada Bhagwan, A
very grave fault has occurred. Severe anger happened. How much hurt must have
resulted in the other person? I am sincerely repenting this and asking for his
forgiveness with you as my witness. I am asking this from bottom of my
heart.’ Questioner:
When prolonged arguments have happened, the result within is a greater rift
and distance from him. For the small disagreements, do we pratikraman several
times? Can we do just one long pratikraman to cover everything? Or do we have
to do individual pratikramans for each fault? Dadashri:
Do as many as you can individually. If not possible, do them
collectively. If you come across too many at once, do them all together and
state that you are doing them collectively because you can not do pratikraman
for each and every one of your fault. Address your
predicament to Dada Bhagwan and the message will surely reach him.
(P.219) Questioner:
We become very angry with someone. Then we do instant pratikraman
for this mistake. Does the effect of our anger continue to linger
within that person or does stop as soon as we do the pratikraman? Dadashri:
You should not concern yourself with what is happening within the other
person. Just keep washing your clothes and keep them clean.
Besides, you have no control over your anger. You become angry even though you
do not want to. Do you get angry? Questioner:
Yes. It happens. Dadashri:
Do not worry about that, but just continue to do pratikraman. Make
‘Chandulal’ do the pratikraman and he will handle the situation however it
needs to be handled. If you become too concerned about it, you will ruin your
task. Your task is to remain aware of the faults the happen.
(P.220) Questioner:
When we are very angry with someone, we begin to talk negatively about him
in his absence. Dadashri:
That is called kashaya. When you come under someone else’s control, it is
kashaya. You have come under the control of your inner enemies, anger, greed
etc. You realize that it is wrong to speak negatively about someone in his
absence, but you still do it. Sometimes you will become aware of it and some
times it will pass, unnoticed. You become aware of it sooner or later. This is
can only happen if you were the knower of the fault when it was happening. The
fact that you regret the event later, means that you were in fact aware as a
knower when the fault was happening. Questioner:
In my office, I have three to four secretaries. Despite multiple
instructions on repeated occasions, they continue to repeat the same mistake.
This results in my getting very angry and frustrated with them. What should I
do? Dadashri:
You are now the pure Self, so how can you become angry?
It is ‘Chandulal’ who feels the anger, so you should tell him, ‘
you have met Dada now. What reason is there for you to become so angry?’ Questioner:
But my secretary does not improve at all. Unless I say something to
her, she will not change. Dadashri:
You can tell ‘Chandulal’ that he can scold his secretary with
equanimity. He should scold her dramatically. He
can even tell her that if she continues to be inefficient, she risks losing
her job. Questioner:
If I say that, she would feel hurt and you have said that we should not
hurt anyone. Dadashri:
She would not feel hurt if you speak to her in a dramatic matter. Drama
means you do not consider the relative as real. Hence there is no ego involved
in your words. She will become aware of her mistake and she
will resolve to change. You can only hurt her if your intention is to hurt.
(P.221)
If you remain the Knower and the Seer of the
rage that happens, it will leave without charging new
causes. The atoms of rage will become cleansed and dissipate. You
are obligated to do at least this much. Questioner:
Is the pratikraman we do after becoming angry, called purushaarth or parakram
(heroic deed or great achievement)? Dadashri:
That is called purushaarth. It cannot be called parakram. Questioner:
Then what is parakram? Dadashri:
Parakram is higher than purushaarth. This is certainly not parakram .How
can you call this parakram when you are nursing a burn with a healing
ointment? You can say that it is parakram when you are the ‘Knower’ of it
all, and also the knower of all that is happening within. Pratikraman
is purushaarth. With continued pratikraman your verbal
conflicts will decrease. Everything will decrease
naturally. The ego is the first to go and then everything else will follow.
Everything will fall into place and you will experience stillness from
within. (P.222)
Pratikraman for those who are Self-realized, completely erases all
karma because of the absence of the doer. When the doer is absent, only the
effects of past karma are felt. People, who have not
received the knowledge of the Self, suffer the effect because of the presence
of the doer (ego). Their karmas may weaken a little by
doing pratikraman, but they are not erased completely and they will have to
suffer the consequences of the causal karmas, whereas for you, the karmas are
destroyed altogether.
When you no longer see faults in anyone, know that you have attained
the state of the state of stillness, the state of the Self even amidst the din
of worldly life. This state in Akram Vignan is very different. Even while
enjoying life's pleasures, one sees the world flawless.
(P231)
Those who have no trace of any abhorrence will be liberated in one more
lifetime. If elements of abhorrence remain then it may take him three or four
lifetimes.
(P.232) Questioner:
On the path of liberation, does pratikraman free one from all
previous accounts? Dadashri:
Hmm… Yes. Questioner:
But what words do we need to say in this? Dadashri:
All living beings, which have been hurt in whatever manner by me,
please forgive me. Questioner:
Each and every living being? Dadashri:
Yes to each and every living being Questioner:
Does it include those microorganisms like those in the air, water and
fire? Dadashri:
It includes everything. Questioner:
What should we do if we kill something unknowingly? Dadashri:
Even when it is done in ignorance, once you become aware of your deed, you
should feel remorse immediately. You should repent for it and do pratyakhyan.
Beware that it does not happen again. This should be your goal. God had
told us to be firm and resolute in our determination not to kill any living
thing. Every morning when you begin your day, you must repeat this five times:
“ I do not wish to hurt a single living being through my mind, my speech or
my body.” You will lighten the burden of your responsibility because in
reality you only have control over your intent. To hurt or not to hurt any
living being is not in your hands as far as result is concerned.
(P.236) Questioner:
Do we still commit a sin if we hurt someone by accident? Dadashri:
What happens when you put your hand in the fire by accident? Questioner:
My hand would burn. Dadashri:
Will a child not burn himself too? Questioner:
Yes he would. Dadashri:
Even a child? You will not escape, whether you do something knowingly or
unknowingly.
(P.237) Questioner:
What happens to a person if he continues to kill mosquitoes, even after he has
received Gnan? Dadashri:
You can say that such a person has spoilt his bhaav. That
is not considered awareness of Gnan. Questioner:
Is that considered violence? Dadashri:
Not only that, but in doing so, he has reverted back to what he was before
Gnan. If however, he were to do pratikraman, his bad karma would be erased.
Questioner:
What if he keeps doing it repeatedly? Dadashri:
Even if he were to do it a hundred times over, by doing pratikraman, his
bad karma would be erased.
(P.237)
You should not have a single thought about killing. If you cannot
tolerate the insects, take them outside. The Tirthankaras eliminated the word
kill from common usage, because it is laden with risk. The thought ‘kill’
is laden with a lot of violent subatomic particles. Questioner:
Does cause violence and effect violence have the same consequences? Dadashri:
Cause violence can not be seen. Only effect violence is visible. It
can be perceived through the mind, speech and body. If you have reverence for
life, and you believe that no harm should come to them, then you are not held
accountable for anything that happens to them, even if you kill something
accidentally. Your compassion is all that is required. You must nevertheless
repent and do pratikraman to eliminate any responsibility on your part.
(P.240) Questioner:
I have read in your books that, “ Through this mind, speech and body,
let me not hurt-even in the slightest degree- any living entity.” I am a
farmer and I grow tobacco. While the plants are growing, I have to constantly
pinch off the tender new leaves on their stalks. Would that not hurt the
plant? Is that not a sinful act? We do this to thousands of our plants! How
can we put an end to this sinful act? Dadashri:
You should feel remorse for the act. You should regret and feel
“Why has this painful task fallen upon me?” That is all. You can
carry on with your work then. Internally you are repenting that it is not your
wish to undertake such a disagreeable occupation. Questioner:
Yes, but are we still committing a sin? Dadashri:
Yes, it is a sin. But you must not concern yourself with that.
Do not look at the sinful act. You just have to be
committed to the decision that things should not be the way they are. Stay
with the conviction that you would rather be employed doing something other
than tobacco farming. Before, when you were not aware of all this, you would
not have been so reluctant to mutilate the poor plants. If you follow my
advice, the responsibility becomes mine. I am taking on the
responsibility for you. You can cast the plant aside, but at the same time,
you should feel a deep remorse. All
farmers and crop owners are liable for their faults when they annihilate so
many living organisms in the fields. Everyday they should earnestly pray to
God and ask to be forgiven for their faults. I tell every farmer to take about
five to ten minutes and repent in front of the Lord for this violence. They
must do pratikraman because the work they are engaged in, involves so much
violence. I show them how to do pratikraman. Questioner:
Is it enough to just say the prayer, you mentioned,
that let no living being be hurt through the medium of this speech, thoughts
and acts, in the morning? Dadashri:
It should be repeated five times every day, with the
same internal focus as one has when counting money. Say
it with the same concentration and say it aloud.
(P.243) Questioner:
Let us say that a relationship based on deep abhorrence and
vengeance has happened. If we do not do any pratikraman, will we not
have to meet the other person sooner or later to settle the account? Dadashri:
It has nothing to do with the other person. He does not have to settle
anything. You will remain bound. Questioner:
But aren’t we supposed to settle the account? Dadashri:
The fact that it has happened you means that you are still
bound. So you must do pratikraman. Everything heals with pratikraman, which is
why you have been given this weapon.
(P.247) Questioner:
When we do pratikraman, we get rid of our bitter feelings of vengeance,
but what about the other person? What if he still feels animosity towards us? Dadashri:
What did it matter to Lord Mahavir when those around him felt so much
attachment towards him? Some even hated him. Nothing affects the Vitarag.
A Vitarag goes around without putting oil
on his body. Nothing of the world will stick to them. Others spread oil over
their body before going outside. They will undoubtedly become covered with
dirt and dust of the world. Questioner:
There is animosity between myself and another person.
There has been a lot of attachment and consequent abhorrence between us. While
I have managed to get rid of my animosity, the other person still continues to
harbor deep vengeance. Does this mean that in my next life, he will come to
settle the account? After all, he is the one perpetuating the abhorrence. Dadashri:
With pratikraman, his animosity towards you will lessen. With
each pratikraman, a layer of karma is shed. Karma come in layers, just like
the numerous layers of an onion. You will have to do as many pratikramans as
the number of layers you have caused. Do you understand?
(P.249) Questioner:
What should we do when, while doing pratikraman, atikraman happens? Dadashri:
Do your pratikraman later. When you attempt to extinguish a fire ignited
by a firework, and in the process another firecracker is suddenly set off, you
would have to jump aside and wait before making another attempt to put out the
fire. These fireworks of life will keep exploding. Such is the worldly life.
(P.251)
If someone were to insult me and do me wrong, I would still help him
and continue to give him protection. A man once came to challenge me, I told
everyone around me that they should not have a single negative thought about
him and if they did, they should do pratikraman, because after all he is a
good man but he was under the control of his internal enemies. If he were
under the control of the Self, he would never have spoken the way he did.
A person, who succumbs to his internal enemies, has to be forgiven, for
he does not have the support of the Self. When someone becomes the victim of
the internal enemies and becomes angry, you must remain calm or else
everything will be ruined.
To be controlled by internal enemies means to be swayed by the effects
of the karma of your past life. Everything unfolds according to the effects of
past karma.
(P.255) 17.
Removal Of The Root Cause Of Opinions
It is you who must know how to respond to the person who comes to you,
whatever his inner intent; be it good or bad. Do not bother with him if his
prakruti (innate nature) is awkward and difficult. Just let him be. If you
know that it is his nature to steal, and you have been watching him steal for
the last ten years, should you trust him if he begs for your forgiveness?
You can tell him that you do not have any bad feelings towards him and
that he has your forgiveness. But that is as far as you can go with such a
person. You cannot afford to place trust in him or become
involved with him. On the other hand, if you were to become his friend, then
it would be wrong not to trust him, or become suspicious about him based on
your previous opinions. Frankly you should not associate
with him, and if you do, then there should not be any prejudice towards him.
Just keep in mind that whatever happens is correct.
(P.257) Questioner:
What if we still have a negative opinion about him? Dadashri:
Then you should ask for forgiveness. You must ask for forgiveness from
whomever you have a negative opinion about. Questioner:
Is it okay to have good opinions? Dadashri:
Do not give any opinions at all. If you do, you must erase them. You have
the necessary flawless tools at your disposal: alochana, pratikraman and
pratyakhyan.
(P.258) Questioner:
How do we get rid of our strong opinions? Dadashri:
They will begin to disappear from the very moment you decide you want to be
rid of them. If they are very stubborn, you must work on them for several
hours each day. They too will disappear. After Self-realization the real
dharma starts. This also gives you extraordinary strengths to overcome the
most difficult obstructions. But first you must realize the cause behind the
obstacles and then you must do pratikraman for it.
(P.259)
The most important thing is to guard against forming any new opinions.
This is where you need to be most cautious. Nothing else matters. The
awareness of the worldly life tends to formulate opinions, even before you see
something or someone and this must be destroyed before they take root. You
must exercise extreme caution with regards to opinions. Nevertheless
you will bind opinions, but they should be immediately destroyed. Prakruti
creates opinions and pragna shakti (the light of Knowledge) destroys them.
Prakruti will continue to bind opinions for some time, but you must
keep erasing them. Opinions are the underlying cause of all unrest. Questioner:
How do we get rid of the opinions we have bound? Dadashri:
To eliminate them, you must tell yourself, or to others that you have
formed such an opinion about this person, that the opinion is totally wrong
and that you should not have any opinion about him. When you declare this to
yourself, you will become free from it.
(P.260)
Without pratikraman, your opinions will remain and you will stay bound
to your faults.
Opinions have formed the mind. I never have any opinions about anyone.
My initial thought about a person when I first meet him never changes. If I
catch someone stealing, I do not jump to the conclusion that he is a thief,
because I am aware that it is his circumstances that have led him to steal.
People would immediately label him a thief if they caught him stealing. They
would not take his circumstances into account. To them, it would be immaterial
whether or not he has a history of stealing or whether his circumstances have
forced him to steal. I would only call a person a thief, if he were a thief
forever. My opinion about a person does not change, once it is made. Until now
I have not changed my opinion about anyone.
(P.262)
After you become Self-realization, it is your obligation to make
‘Chandulal’ the relative self, pure also. If the body complex could
express its feelings it would say: “ I
was always pure! It is you who have contaminated me with your inner intents. I
had neither bones, nor blood, nor pus. I was absolutely pure. You have defiled
me to such a degree. Unless you make me pure as well, you will not attain
final liberation.
(P.265)
Questioner:
Once a seed of sexuality is sewn will it
not flourish into a tree? Dadashri:
When the seed is sown, it will result in an effect. If the seed does not
get the necessary support for firm growth in this life then it can have no
effect in the next life. That is why I tell people who have a tendency to
delve in sexuality to fast on Sundays and taking the issue of sexuality, see
all faults committed and to wash them off with the weapon of pratikraman. This
may need to be done repeatedly until one is free from the internal effects of
sexual impulses. If this is done in the confines of an Agna, then it will help
a lot.
(P.272)
For now on you must be extremely cautious about where your eye wanders.
There was a time when people used to gouge out their eyes if they
looked upon someone with lustful intentions. That is sheer
foolishness; you are not to do that. If it happens to you, you must simply
avert your eyes and if it happens again, then do pratikraman. Do not forsake
even a minute’s worth of pratikraman in this matter. Faults associated with
your eating and drinking habits are inconsequential as compared to those of
sexuality. Sex is the worst disease for the one who wants freedom from worldly
life. Worldly life bondage exists because of
sexuality.
You attain human life birth only when you take what is rightfully
yours. If you violate this rule you will be paving your way
into the animal kingdom. Questioner:
We have all taken something, which has not been rightfully ours. Dadashri:
You must do pratikraman for that. The Lord will still save you. You can
still go into the derasars (Jain temple) and repent. As long as you are alive,
you must continue to repent for enjoying things that were forbidden to you.
Repent as long as you remain in this body.
(P.274)
Questioner:
Dada you have said that seventy percent of the human
beings here, will reincarnate in the animal kingdom. This
perturbs me. What hope do we have? Dadashri:
There is very little hope for most human beings, but if you are
cautious… Questioner:
We are talking about those who have acquired Self-Realization (mahatmas). Dadashri:
Nothing in this world can touch any mahatma who follows my Agnas. I warn
people to be as cautious as they can, because through pratikraman there is
still a way out.
If you were to write a letter to someone in an angry mood, and in the
letter you curse him frequently. If at the end of the letter you request his
pardon for what has been written stating that the reason for the outburst has
been a quarell with your own wife, then would the man not forgive you after
reading all the curses? Likewise
all faults committed in life so far are erased if pratikramans are done before
leaving this body. You must ask for forgiveness from whomever you consider as
your Lord. If not, you can come to me for forgiveness and I will forgive you.
A very bleak and terrible time is yet to come and still Chandulal
behaves recklessly. Your life carries a tremendous responsibility with it. I
even hesitate when I say that seventy percent of the human race is doomed!
This is the final assurance I give you in these terrible times. I am putting
the weapon of pratikraman into your hands. With pratikraman you stand a chance
of being saved. But if you do it according to my Agnas, you salvation will
come sooner. If
someone tells you that you have no sense and insults you in public and your
spontaneous reaction is to want to bless him, you should know that your
separation would always be there. At such a time of public insult, You are
also aware that Chandulal is being scolded and not you.
(P.277)
Normally during satsangs, I would invite Chandulal to come and sit in
the front. On some other day I not even acknowledge his presence. What is my
intention? I know that he would feel rejected
for having to sit in the back. I would continue to give him praise at one time
and deflate him at another. By doing this, he would make more progress in Gnan
and he would progress further. I employ different tactics with everyone for
their progress in this Gnan, and it is different for each person. Getting rid
of the weaknesses of the prakruti is very important, because how long can you
go on keeping something that does not even belong to you? All my
acts are for the support and progress of Gnan only. Questioner:
You are right, there is no escape as long as the prakruti’s weaknesses
exist. Dadashri:
As for myself, it was this Gnan and Nature that helped me get rid
of my prakruti. Yours will not go until I do it for you as an
‘instrument’.
(P.277) 19.
Addiction Of Compulsive Lying Questioner:
Are we binding karmas when we tell lies? Dadashri:
Of course. But more than telling a lie, it is
the intent to tell a lie that binds m karma. Telling lies is the effect of
your past karmas. The actual charging of karma occurs because of one’s
internal intent and resolve to tell lies. Will this knowledge help you? Questioner:
One should stop telling lies. Dadashri:
No. One should let go of the opinion that one should tell lies.
If you lie, you must repent for it. When you do this, you may not stop
lying, but at least your opinion supporting lies will cease. Repent
for your lies by saying, “ I am not going to lie from this day onwards.
Lying is the greatest sin. Lying causes great pain. Telling lies will bind me.
Please forgive, Lord.” Once your opinion changes, you will ultimately stop
telling lies. How
should the relative religion(religion practiced by the world) be? If lies are
expressed, be sure to wipe them off with pratikraman.
(P.280)
The mind is not as much of a problem as the speech is, because the
mind functions secretly, whereas speech can carve a hole in a person’s heart
and hurt him severely. You must ask for forgiveness from
whomever you have hurt with your speech. You must recall each and every person
and do pratikraman in his name. Questioner:
Shall we be forgiven for all the faults committed through our speech with
pratikraman? Dadashri:
The faults will remain in the form of a burnt rope. It looks like a rope, but
it cannot bind like a rope. With pratikraman its residue will instantly
disintegrate in the next life. Doer
ship is the support on which karma are bound. Now that you
are no longer the doer, no new karma will be bound. The remaining karma from
your past will bring forth their effects and then dissipate.
(P.285) Questioner:
If a person speaks while he is irritated would that be atikraman? Dadashri:
Of course it is an atikraman. Questioner:
What would happen if we hurt someone with our speech, but we do not do
any pratikraman? Dadashri:
When you speak harshly, it will naturally hurt the other person. How can
you be happy with hurting someone? Questioner:
Do we bind karmas because of this? Dadashri:
Is it not against the spiritual law to hurt anyone? And by doing so, have
you not violated the law? When you follow my Agnas, you are
practicing dharma, so then why not do pratikraman? What is
wrong in doing it? Ask for forgiveness and make a firm
resolution that you will not make the same mistake again. Is there even a need
for you to look for justice? If one understands the
relative life as it really is, then one would understand justice. It
is because of your own past accounts that your neighbor insults you. In the
same token it is because of the other person’s past account that you speak
harshly with him, but because you want to be liberated, you have to do the
pratikraman.
(P.286) Questioner:
Because of our Gnan, it does not affect me when people are rude or
spiteful towards me. The problem is that sometimes I do end up speaking
harshly at such times. At such times if I take into account what you have just
said that my speech is a consequence of his karma account, is it a misuse of
Gnan? This supports my own rude behavior towards others. Dadashri:
You must not use what I say as an excuse to escape your faults. Under such
circumstances you have to do pratikraman. If you say something hurtful to
someone, you must do pratikraman. If you accept the other person rude
language, and understand that his speech is not under his control, but is
dependent on other factors, then it should not affect you at all.
(P.287) Questioner:
Would you be committing a sin if you told a lie for the sake of
liberation? Dadashri:
Anything that you do for the Self is not
considered a sin. Anything that is done for the body is considered a sin if it
hurts others and it is a virtue if it helps others. When the intent is solely
the salvation of the world, whatever deeds are done will not bind karma.
However in the process, if you become instrumental in suffering for any one,
pratikraman is necessary.
(P.289) Questioner:
If we do not notice the effect of our pratikraman on the other person,
does that mean that we are not doing it sincerely or is it because the other
person has too many veils on his spirituality? Dadashri:
Do not concern yourself too much about the state of the other person. He
may even be insane, who knows? You need to be sure that you are not
instrumental in hurting him. Questioner:
Therefore we should attempt to make an effort to make him attain closure
for the hurt he is feeling? Dadashri:
If you hurt the person, you will surely have to amend the situation. That is
indeed your responsibility. Life is not meant for hurting anyone. Questioner:
Even then, if the matter cannot be settled to his satisfaction, how much
of it is my responsibility? Dadashri:
If you can meet with the person face to face and apologize with your eyes,
you should do so. However, if he taunts you instead, you should realize that
you are not dealing with a noble person. You must still resolve it, but it
need not be in his presence. If while asking for his
forgiveness in person, he throws it back in your face, understand that you
have made a mistake, but because he is not a noble person, you should not bow
or belittle yourself to him.
(P.290) Questioner:
If you have good intentions, do you still have to do pratikraman? Dadashri:
You must do pratikraman because of the hurt to the other person. If
someone tells you, ‘Oh, just look at how that woman is scolding her
husband’, you have to do pratikraman for
having witnessed the event. You must do pratikraman for everything that comes
before you. Your intentions may be as good as gold, but what good are they?
Good intentions are not enough. Even though my own intentions are good, I
still have to do pratikraman. Pratikraman has to be done for any mistake one
makes. Everyone who has acquired Self-Realization has the intent of the
salvation of the world, but that is simply not enough. Pratikraman must be
done first and foremost. When you get stains on your clothes, do you not wash
them off? Likewise these too are considered stains. Questioner:
If someone is doing something wrong in daily life and we caution him. What
do we do if our speech hurts him? Dadashri:
You may be faced with the need to caution him, but because it is done
through your ego, you have to do pratikraman. Questioner:
If I do not caution and warn him, will he get worse and bother me more? Dadashri:
You have to caution him, but you must know how to do so. If you do not know
how to caution him the right way, you will end up hurting him and therefore
you must do pratikraman. When you caution him, he will
indeed feel hurt, but if you keep doing pratikraman, within a few months your
speech will begin to sound pleasant to him.
The
caution that is associated with ego hurts and this is the basis of faulty
worldly interaction.
(P.291) Whenever
I make fun of someone, I have to do pratikraman for that also. I
am not excused from that. Questioner:
Yes but that’s just joking around. Surely there is no problem with that. Dadashri:
No, but even then I have to do pratikraman. It is not so necessary for
you, but it is imperative for me. If I did not do pratikraman, then the words
from this tape-recorder (speech from the Gnani) would not
come out as precise.
(P.293)
I too used to make fun of all sorts of people, from the ordinary to
very prominent and successful ones. Extremely intelligent people have a
tendency to make fun of others. Is such an ego not futile? Is that not misuse
one’s intellect? It is a sign of misuse of intellect to make fun of others. Questioner:
What are the consequences of making fun of others? Dadashri:
It is better to slap someone than to make fun of him or her. You misuse
your intelligence when you make fun of others. It is a sign of misuse of
intellect when you make fun of the other. He was not able to comprehend
through his intellect and you brought him under your control through your
superior intellect by making fun of him.
(P.295) Questioner:
How can we stop this tape from recording? How can we stop from creating new
causes for speech that will hurt others? Dadashri:
By not creating any vibrations of any kind in speech, you will not make a
new tape. You must simply observe everything. But that is not so easy because
even this is a machine (the relative self) and furthermore, it is not under
your control. That is why I am showing you an alternate way. If the words have
expressed and you do pratikraman immediately, the taping for effect in the
next life will be erased. Pratikraman is the tool used for erasing.
With pratikraman there will be a change in your speech in one or two
lifetimes and your negative speech will stop altogether. Questioner:
After attaining Self-realization, pratikramans are happening
constantly. Dadashri:
Therefore you are not accountable. If you do pratikraman for whatever
you say, you will no longer be liable. If you have to speak
sternly, do so but without any attachment or abhorrence, and do pratikraman
vidhi immediately. Questioner:
What is the pratikraman vidhi? Dadashri:
Invoke the One who is free from, thoughts, speech and acts; is free from
bhav karma, dravya karma and no karma; is free from the worldly name and all
illusions attached to the name. This One is the ‘Shuddhatma Bhagwan.’ Then
say, ‘Dear Shuddhatma Bhagwan, I have spoken in a harsh manner and that is a
fault of mine. I am repenting for this mistake. I am asking for your
forgiveness. I am resolving not to repeat this mistake again. Please give me
the strength not to repeat the mistake again’. Think
of Dada (The fully enlightened Lord within The Gnani Purush) or Shuddhatma
Bhagwan when you do your pratikraman. First do alochana,
which means that you are confessing your mistake. Then do
pratikraman, which is the actual asking for forgiveness that will cleanse your
mistakes, and lastly do pratyakhyan, which is your resolve never to repeat the
mistake.
(P.297) Questioner:
Will our speech improve in future, after we do pratikraman? Dadashri:
It will indeed be something to see after you do pratikraman. It is because of
pratikraman that my speech is of the highest quality. It is because of
pratikraman that this speech is above any controversy or dispute and accepted
by all. Elsewhere all speech creates
controversy. Purity in worldly interactions means there is no ego involved in
any worldly interactions. Only such person’s speech is accepted by all.
(P.298).
21. Faults Of The Prakruti Will Leave Thus…. It
is better to drink the poison of this satsang (company of the real), then to
drink the nectar of the world. At least the poison of the satsang has
pratikraman in it. I have ingested all the goblets of poison and have become
Mahadev(Symbolic of The Absolute).
(P.299) Questioner:
I think a lot about coming near you but I am unable to do so. Dadashri:
Is anything in this world under your control? You
should feel remorse when you are not able to come to my satsang. You have to
tell ‘Chandubhai’ to do pratikraman, so everything can be resolved
quickly. Do pratikraman because you are not able to come.
Do pratyakhan. Your mistakes (past life) prevent you from coming here, so make
sure that you do not make the same mistake again. Why
is your current intent to come to me growing stronger? Coming events cast
their shadows before. This is an indication of things to come. Indeed
it is going to happen. Questioner:
How do I do pratikraman for all the worries that happen? Dadashri:
Do pratikraman in this way: “It is because of my ego that I worry.
I am not the doer. So, Dada Bhagwan, please forgive me”. You
will have to do something, will you not? Questioner:
Do we have to do pratikraman when we make comments about the weather? Dadashri:
No, pratikraman is needed only where there is attachment or abhorrence:
Wherever there is a file. If the soup is very salty, you do
not need to do pratikraman. But do pratikraman for the
person who made the soup. Pratikraman results in internal changes in the other
person. While
urinating, if an ant should get carried away in the stream and drown, I do
pratikraman. I always maintain my awareness. The fact that the ant drowns is a
karmic effect, a discharge karma but why did my awareness falter at that time
to cause the atikraman? Everyone is liable for such
faults. Whenever
you read Dada’s books, bow down to the book and ask Dada to give you the
strength to read. If you forget to do so, then bow down
twice and tell Dada that it is not your intention to forget, but because you
did, you are asking for his forgiveness and that you will not let it happen
again. If
you forget to do your vidhi (Dadashri’s prescribed daily instructions)
at the right time, do pratikraman and then do the vidhi. You
must do the pratikraman for whatever atikraman happens
during the process of discharge of your past karma. Should
your actions hurt others, even though they are in a discharge form, you must
do pratikraman for them. If
you do something good for Dada or mahatmas, you do not have to do
pratikraman. When you do something good for other people, you have to do
pratikraman if doer ship was involved. Questioner:
When we do pratikraman does it reach the other person? Dadashri:
Yes, it reaches him. He will start to soften from within, whether he is aware
of it or not. His attitude towards you will
improve. Our pratikramans are very effective.
There is tremendous power in pratikraman. If you do
pratikraman for just one hour, you will observe the changes in the other
person. But that will only happen if you have attained the
Self. When you do pratikraman for the other
person, not only will he not see your faults,
but he will also begin to respect you.
(P.301) Questioner:
Do we not charge new karmas by doing pratikraman? Dadashri:
If the Self becomes the doer then karmas will be charged. The
Self does not do pratikraman, it is Chandubhai who does it and You the pure
Self are the knower and the seer of it all. True
pratikraman starts only after you become Self-realized. There has to be
someone to do the pratikraman (i.e. Chandulal), and someone to give the
instructions that pratikraman be done (You – the pure Self).
(P.302) Questioner:
Pratikraman starts from the moment I wake up. Dadashri:
The soul within you has now become a pratikraman-Soul; the Pure Soul is
still there, but before where it used to be a worldly soul, it has now become
a pratikraman soul. Other people have kashay- souls.
Not a single person in this world is able to do pratikraman.
As
you start doing instant pratikramans, you are purifying everything at the same
time. When you do instant pratikraman against any atikraman, your mind and
speech begin to purify. Pratikraman
is like planting a roasted seed. Roasted seeds do not grow, and new causes are
not laid. Doing
alochana-pratikraman-pratyakhyan is to review the entire day. The more of your
faults you are able to see, the more aware you will be. That is why
pratikraman must be done! Questioner:
Is it the fault of the prakruti that we are not able to do pratikraman or
is it because of some obstacle causing karma?
Dadashri:
It is the prakruti’s fault, but that is not always the case.
It does not matter if pratikraman is not done because of the prakruti,
but the main thing is your inner intent. All you have to do
is guard your intentions and nothing else.
Everything else is immaterial. Do you wish to do
pratikraman? Questioner:
Yes, absolutely. Dadashri:
In spite of this bhaav, if you are not able to do pratikraman, then it
is the fault of the prakruti. You are not liable for such a fault.
Sometimes the prakruti will speak the sentences of the pratikraman and
sometimes it will not. It is like a gramophone. The record may not play or it
may not play. That is not considered an obstructive karma.
(P.303)
Questioner:
Despite making a firm resolution to settle all disputes with
equanimity, why do disputes still continue? Dadashri:
In how many instances does this happen, a hundred or so? Questioner:
No, in just one. Dadashri:
Then the karma is very solid and strong. And it
is alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan that will wash away this type of
karma. They will lighten the karma, and after that you will be able to remain
an observer of the effect. You must do continuous
pratikraman for this type of karma.
With whatever force the karma became solid, a corresponding amount of
repentance force will be needed for its pratikraman.
(P.304) Questioner:
When we make a firm resolution with absolute sincerity that we do not
want to make the same mistake again, are we likely to make that same mistake
again? Is it under our control? Dadashri:
Yes it will happen again. For example, if I had a ball and I threw it,
once I throw that ball, it will not stop bouncing, even if I wish for it to
stop. Throwing the ball was just one single action, but
after throwing it, I say that I do not wish to throw it, and I tell the ball
to stop bouncing, will it stop? Questioner:
No, it will not. Dadashri:
Then what will happen? Questioner:
It will bounce several times. Dadashri:
So it has gone out of my hands and into the hands of Nature. Nature
will make it still. That is how all this is. All our mistakes fall into
Nature’s hands. Questioner:
Then what benefits are there in pratikraman, once it falls into
Nature's hands? Dadashri:
Many benefits. Tremendous benefits. Pratikraman
has such an impact that if you do pratikraman
towards someone, for one hour, it will bring about tremendous new and
different changes within that person. But the person doing the pratikraman
must have this Gnan. He himself must be pure. He
has to have the experience of ‘I am a Pure Soul (shuddhatma)’. Pratikraman
will have a tremendous effect. Pratikraman is our biggest weapon.
(P.305) If
one has not taken this Gnan, the prakruti will be doing everything wrong
throughout the day. But after Gnan, it will be on the right
path. When you become upset with someone, you will begin to feel from within,
that you should not be doing this, and that you must do pratikraman for having
thoughts about hurting him. Before Gnan, all you would
think about would be getting back at him in the worse possible way.
And not only that, but the more you could hurt him, the better it would
be. The
nature of human beings is such that they become their prakruti. When the
prakruti does not improve, they give up. Do not
concern yourself about improving the prakruti; at least improve your inner
self. You are not responsible for whatever happens on the outside. This is all
a Science. If you understand this much, everything will be
resolved.
(P.306) 22.
Solution for Sticky Files Many
people tell me that although they have tried to settle files with equanimity,
they have failed. I tell them that it is not important for them to settle the
matter. All they must do is to have the intention to settle the matter with
equanimity. Whether they manage to do so or not,
the results are not dependent on them. If you remain
within my Agnas, a lot of your work will be accomplished and if it does not,
then that too is dependent on Nature.
(P.308) When
you stop seeing faults of others, you will be liberated. If someone were to
insult you, hurt you financially and even physically, and despite all this,
you do not see any faults in him, that is when you will be free from the
entanglements of this worldly life. Have
you stopped seeing faults in others? Questioner:
Yes Dada. I do pratikraman when I see
fault in others. Dadashri:
The way to handle this is to have a firm resolve that ‘I want to stay in
Dada’s Agnas’, and then begin the day. Then do
pratikraman for the times you have not been able to abide by the Agnas. Keep
everyone happy at home by settling any conflicts with them, with equanimity.
In spite of doing this, if they are still unhappy with you, then
understand that it is because of your past accounts and simply be an observer
of everything. You have made this decision only today, so
win them over with love. You will notice that everything will start to settle
down. Still you should only believe so, when those at home
certify that you are free from faults. Ultimately they are all on your side.
(P.312) Questioner:
The results we get from doing pratikraman are based on the principle that
by seeing the pure Self in the other person, we decrease our negative
bhaav(attachment and abhorrence) towards him. Is that
correct? Dadashri:
Your negative bhaavs will be destroyed. All this is
for our own benefit only. It has nothing to do with the other person. The only
reason to see the pure Self in others is that
you remain in your pure state and awareness. Questioner:
So if someone has a negative bhaav towards us, will it become less by
seeing the Self in him? Dadashri:
No that will not happen. It will only lessen if you do pratikraman.
That does not happen simply by seeing the Self in him, but it does through
your pratikraman. Questioner:
Does the pratikraman have any effect on him? Dadashri:
Yes, it does have an effect. In the process of pratikraman when you see
the pure Self in the other person, you are free from all opinions, good or
bad. Although the benefits may not be so apparent in the beginning, they will
gradually increase. This is because you have never seen the other person as
the pure Self before. You have only seen him as either a good person or a bad
person, but never as the pure Self.
(P. 318) Even
a tiger will do whatever you command if you were to do its pratikraman.
There is no difference between a tiger and a human. The difference is
in the vibrations you emit. It is your vibrations that will affect the tiger.
As long as you believe in your mind that a tiger is a violent animal, the
tiger will remain violent. If you are aware that the tiger
is the Self, then it will have no violence with you. Everything is possible. You
must understand how effective your bhaav can be in causing an effect that can
be destructive. If a monkey destroys all the mangoes on your mango tree, then
in the moment of frustration you may say that it would have been better to
chop off the mango tree altogether. Beware of the inner
intent behind what you say. Words spoken in the presence of the Self do not go
to waste. If you are careful not to cause a negative effect, then everything
will be fine. Everything around you is what you have
created. From this moment onwards, stop any vibrations or thoughts towards
others. If a thought arises, wash it off by doing
pratikraman. That way the entire day will pass without any vibrations. If you
can get through the whole day this way, it is enough. That by itself is a
great achievement towards liberation.
(P.319) After
this Gnan, the newer events of your life will not become impure. The
old phases however, will have to be made pure by seeing them or dealing with
them with equanimity. This equanimity is the nature of the
Vitarag. New phases will not become impure. They will
remain pure. It is the older phases, which are impure and
will need to be purified. Remaining within my Agnas, and maintaining
equanimity can accomplish that. Questioner:
Dada how do the different karma created before this Gnan, come to an
end? Dadashri:
As long as you are living, you can wash them away by repenting. But a few will
still remain, and those that remain will become very weak, so in your next
life they will fall away by merely touching them, like a burnt rope. Questioner:
Before Gnan, if we had bound a karma for hell, will we still go to
hell? Dadashri:
This Gnan has the ability to disintegrate all the bad
and horrible karmas. Even people who are headed for a life
in hell can wash away the effect of the karma if pratikramans are done in this
life. If you put a disclaimer on your letter before you mail it stating that
your mind was unstable when you wrote the letter, then the contents will have
no value. Questioner:
Will intense repentance destroy the causal seed of bondage in hell? Dadashri:
Yes they will be destroyed. Our pratikraman has tremendous power. Even
some very strong karma effects are lessened. If you put ‘Dada’ as your
witness it will be very effective. There
will be rebirth on account of your karma. You may have one or two more lives
to go to finish off your past karma, but after that you have no choice but to
go to Simandhar Swami, the current living tirthankar. Accounts
from your previous lives that are sticky, will all be washed away.
This is a Science of absolute justice, accurate justice and pure
justice. It is as precise and accurate as the scales of an honest goldsmith.
There is no room for inexactness here. Questioner:
Does the force of karma become weak by doing pratikraman? Dadashri:
Yes of course! Not only that, but you will be able
to accomplish everything quicker.
( P.320) Questioner:
How does one ask for forgiveness from someone who is no longer alive? Dadashri:
Although they are no longer living, you still have the memory of their face
and you still have their photographs, you can do their pratikraman.
Even if you cannot remember their face, but you remember their names,
you can still do pratikraman through their name. It reaches them.
(P.321) 23.
When The Mind Goes Haywire…. Mahatmas
have good and bad intentions, but it all falls under discharge karma, not
charge karma. Anger, pride, attachment, greed, abhorrence
and all good and bad intentions are all discharge karma, which must be dealt
with equanimity. These karmas will only dissipate through pratikraman. There
is no other way Questioner:
Sometimes when I feel insulted, I may not say anything but my mind will
revolt and retaliates. Dadashri:
We are not concerned with what happens at that time, you may even get into
a physical fight. It all depends on how strong one has
grown in this Gnan. If you have complete inner strength in
this Gnan, then even your mind would not revolt. Whenever you revolt through
mind, speech or even your body, you must do pratikraman for all three, because
they are your weaknesses. Dadashri:
As far as your thoughts are concerned, all you have to do is observe
them. There is no pratikraman for thoughts. However,
if you have very bad thoughts for someone, then pratikraman
is necessary. Thoughts about cows and buffaloes and anything else just
disappear in the presence of Gnan. If you observe them with
awareness, they will just pass. They only need to be
observed. There is no need for pratikraman for these. For
example, when you come to satsang and you see everyone standing around, you
may think to yourself, what are all these people standing around here for? For
such a negative thought, you should do pratikraman right away.
(P.323) Questioner:
Should we do pratikraman for the effects of our karmas or for that
which happens within? Dadashri:
Pratikraman is for that which happens within.. Questioner:
Is it for our thoughts or for our intent? Dadashri:
For your intent. Behind every thoughts there is always
an intent. If there has been atikraman, then pratikraman
should be done. Atikraman is when you have bad thoughts.
You may have a bad thought for this lady sitting here, so you should turn it
around by saying to yourself, ‘Think good thoughts about her’.
You may think that this person sitting here is useless. Why does such a
thought come to you? You have no right to assess anyone’s
worth. If you must say anything at all, then say that everyone is good.
By saying this you will not be liable for the karma, but if you say
that this person is worthless, then that is atikraman. For this, you must do
pratikraman.
(P.324) When
you tolerate something that you dislike, with a pure mind, you will become
vitarag. Questioner:
What is a pure mind? Dadashri:
A pure mind is one where you do not have any negative thoughts for the
opponent. What does that mean? That means that you do not
bite your nimit, (lash out at the person who is instrumental in the
dissipation of your negative karmas). If you have bad
thoughts, then you should immediately wash them away by doing pratikraman. Questioner:
A pure mind comes in the final stage,
does it not? Will we have to continue doing pratikraman
until it becomes pure? Dadashri:
Yes that is right. The mind may become pure in certain matters but not
in others. These are all different stages. Where the mind
is impure, pratikraman is required. You
have to keep the account book of the pure Self, clean. So at night before you
go to bed, tell Chandulal to do pratikraman for whomever he saw faults in
during the day. He must keep his books clean for everyone. Any negative bhaav
will be purified through pratikraman. There is no other
solution. Even if an income tax officer were to come and
harass you, you should not see any faults in him. Tell ‘Chandulal’ that he
has to see the whole world as faultless, before he goes to bed.
(P.327) Questioner:
Should pratikraman be done in the presence of the other person? Dadashri:
There is no problem if the pratikraman is done later on. Questioner:
If I have talked negatively about you or hurt you, should I come to you
personally and do pratikraman? Dadashri:
If you can do it personally that would be good and if that is not feasible
then the pratikraman you do later on, brings about the same results.
What
I am saying is that if you have a negative thought about Dada, you should
continue doing pratikraman. People are not to be blamed for their
hostile personalities. People today have hostility
in them. It is characteristic of this time cycle for all living beings to be
hostile. All the non-hostile ones have passed away. There are still, however
many elevated souls who can improve.
(P.328)
If you have negative thoughts about me, you should do pratikraman.
The human mind is capable of seeing faults of even a Gnani Purush.
What will the mind not do? The mind that has been
burnt will burn others. A unhappy man spreads unhappiness. Questioner:
Those who have departed cannot do anything for others. So if you say anything
negative about Lord Mahavir, does it reach him? Dadashri:
Yes it reaches him, but he does not accept it, and it is returned to you along
with double the repercussions. So you have to ask for forgiveness for
yourself. Keep asking for forgiveness until you forget the words you had
uttered. If you have said anything negative about Mahavir,
you have to keep asking for forgiveness and it will be immediately erased.
Your arrows will reach him but he does not accept them.
(P.329) 24.
Gnan Rescues Those Drowning In The Ocean Of Life Questioner:
Can one see one’s past faults by remembering them? Dadashri:
Past faults can really only be seen by focusing the awareness of The
Self on a specific topic e.g., anger, greed etc. and not by recall through
memory. You have to work hard to try and recall them. They need to be recalled
because they have become obscured. If you had some problems
with Chandulal and you did his pratikraman, Chandulal’s presence will be
there. You need to apply this awareness. In this path of
Akram it is not necessary to draw upon memory. Recollection of events is
dependent upon memory. Whatever events come to mind spontaneously, are there
for you to do pratikraman. They come so that you can purify them. Have
you not already made the decision that you do not want any worldly things when
you say in your prayers, ‘I do not want any temporary things of this life
except for the experience of the absolute Self’? Despite this why do you
keep remembering certain things? For that you must continue
your pratikraman. Understand that in spite of doing
pratikraman, if you remember things, it means that they are still pending and
require more pratikraman.
(P.330) It
is because of your attachment and abhorrence that you remember things. If they
did not come into your mind, then you would forget the mistakes you have made.
Why do you not remember the people you met in passing but you remember
the loved ones who are now dead? It is because you still have some pending
attachment and doing pratikraman will dissolve this attachment. Desires
come to you because you have not done pratyakhyan and past events come to your
mind because you have not done pratikraman. Questioner:
Is the pratikraman to be done for the ownership claimed? Dadashri:
For ownership you have to do pratyakhyan. For the
faults there is pratikraman. Questioner:
Even after doing pratikraman, if the same faults come to mind, does it
mean that we are not free of those faults? Dadashri:
The faults are layered like an onion. As you peel
the outer layer of an onion, there is yet another layer beneath. These faults
have a lot of layers. So with each pratikraman you do, you
shed one layer. In this way when you do a hundred or more pratikramans, the
fault will eventually go. Some faults will go away after
five pratikramans and some may require more. A fault
requires as many pratikraman as the number of layers it has. The
longer it takes for pratikraman, the bigger and heavier the fault.
(P.332) Questioner:
Explain what you mean when you said that whatever comes to mind needs
pratikraman and whatever desires come, require pratyakhan. Dadashri:
When it comes to your mind, you should understand that the event is
still very sticky, and pratikramans will free you from it. Questioner:
Should we do pratikraman as many times as it comes to mind? Dadashri:
Yes, that many times. You should keep the intent of pratikraman.
For them to come to mind requires time. Do you remember the faults in
the night? Questioner:
They come depending upon certain circumstances. Dadashri:
Yes, because of the circumstances. Questioner:
And what about desires? Dadashri:
A desire is where your internal tendencies become evident. The intent
that you had previously made is now surfacing again, and so here you need to
do pratyakhyan. Questioner:
Dada, during such times you tell us to say, “It should not be like
this, and this thing should not be my desire”. Is that
what we have to say every time? Dadashri:
You have to do pratyakhyan in this manner, “This is not mine. I am
surrendering this thing. I had invited all these things in
ignorance. But today they are not mine so I am surrendering them. I
am surrendering them through my mind, speech and body. Now
I do not want anything. I had invited this happiness (temporary, relative) in
my ignorant state. Today this happiness is not mine and therefore I am
surrendering it.”
(P.333) The
whole intention behind Akram Vignan is to do ‘shoot-on-sight’ pratikraman.
This is the foundation upon which Akram Vignan stands. In reality no
one is making mistakes. No mistakes are being made by anyone. If you become
instrumental in hurting someone, then recall that person’s pure Self, which
is totally separate from that person's dravyakarma (karmas that come into
effect), nokarma (neutral karmas) , and bhaavkarma (karmas that charge more
karma) and do pratikraman. Questioner:
But should you say all this when you do pratikraman? Dadashri:
No, it is not necessary. Make it short. Make a phone call to the pure
Self of the opponent and say, ‘I have made this mistake, please forgive
me’.
(P.334) And
moreover, you should do pratikraman for all the people in your home.
Do pratikraman for your father, mother, brother and sister everyday,
even for all the extended family members, because these are the people with
whom you have a very sticky account. So
if you do pratikraman for your family for one hour, starting from everyone
close to you to the extended family and going back, two to three generations,
recall all of them and do pratikraman, you will destroy your most intense
sins. Their minds will purify towards you. You
must do this for all your close relatives. Recall them all.
If you cannot sleep at night, you should do pratikraman in this manner.
When you start doing pratikraman in this manner, the film will continue. When
that happens, you will feel tremendous joy, so much so, that it will overflow.
During
the time of pratikraman, you are in the state of the pure Self, and there is
no interference from anything. Who
does the pratikraman? Chandulal does the pratikraman. And
for whom does he do the pratikraman? He does pratikraman
for his whole family. He recalls all his extended family to
do pratikraman. The Self is the witness of the process; it
does nothing. There is no other interference, and therefore the focused
awarensss is also pure.
(P.335) Many
years ago I once made some people do pratikraman, in my presence. It
was pratikraman for faults related to sexual thoughts and acts. They all went
into it so deeply that they could not stop. The pratikraman continued even
when they went home. Even during sleep, and while eating, their pratikraman
would not stop.This continued to take place day and night. Then
I had to stop it for them. Even when they wanted to stop the pratikraman, it
would not stop. Once this machinery of pratikraman is set
in motion, it will continue on its own. You
have to tell Chandulal to continue doing pratikraman for the entire family and
all the people he has hurt. Chandulal must do pratikraman for the countless
lives before, in which he had committed faults related to attachment,
abhorrence, and matters of sexuality. Taking one person at
a time, the pratikraman must be done in the way I have shown you. After
that, with the same focused awareness, pratikraman must be done for the
neighbors too. After doing this, will your burden lessen. If
you have hurt someone , and he has made a note of it, your mind will not find
true rest until that effect is erased by your pratikramans in his name. I
myself have done this with the entire world, and that is why I am free.
As long as you see faults in me, I do not have peace. So whenever I do
pratikraman in this manner, everything gets erased.
(P.340) Do
lots and lots of pratikraman, for all the people you have harassed and hurt.
Whenever you have any free time, take an hour or so, and recall each and
everyone and do their pratikraman. This is a sure way for
the Gnan to grow.
(P.341) After
this, with Dada Bhagwan as your witness, take all the religions, and their
religious heads, and do pratikraman for any negative comments or criticisms
you have made, instigated others to make, in this life, past life, past
calculable lives, and past incalculable lives, and past infinite lives. Ask
for strength not to repeat any such transgression against them, even in the
slightest degree.
(P.342)
Before
Gnan, I had a very strong ego. I used to criticize people and was
disrespectful to them, but also at the same time I used to be full of praise
for some. I would criticize one and praise another.
After 1958, when I became a Gnani, I told A. M. Patel, ‘Wash away all
the contempt you had towards others. Put some soap to it and wash it off.'
After that I recalled each and everyone I had treated with contempt
including the neighbors, uncles, aunts and the in-laws, the entire lot.
I had treated so many people with contempt. I washed
off all the acts of contempt for everyone. Questioner:
Did you do pratikraman in your mind or did you ask for forgiveness
personally? Dadashri:
I told Ambalal that he had done a lot of things that were wrong.
I told him that I could see them all and that he should wash away all
his wrong deeds. I
told Ambalal that he should not forget Chandubhai and all the disrespect, and
verbal abuse he directed at him. I described all this in
detail to him and instructed him to do pratikraman and speak in the following
manner: “Dear
Shuddhatma Bhagwan, who is completely separate from the mind-speech and body
of Chandubhai, and his bhaavkarma, dravyakarma and nokarma. Dear
Shuddhatma Bhagwan of Chandubhai, I am asking for forgiveness for all errors
committed to Chandubhai. I am asking this in the presence of Dada Bhagwan. I
will never repeat such faults again.” Do
the pratikraman in this manner and you will notice a change on the other
person's face. You do the pratikraman here, and the changes will be taking
place over there within him. My
books became clean only after ‘we’ (file # 1 doing pratikraman
under the guidance of the Self) did so much washing. For
countless lives ‘we’ have done this and that is why finally I am free and
liberated. I am showing you the way also, so free yourself
quickly. You
should do pratikraman, so that you can become free from the liability of these
faults. In the beginning after Gnan, people used to attack
me and question my integrity, but later they got tired of doing this, because
I never retaliated. If I had retaliated they would have
continued to attack me. This world will not let
anyone attain liberation, so you should be careful, and conduct yourself with
awareness avoiding any clash. At
least try doing the pratikraman, and then witness the changes in the people in
your household. There will be magical changes, magical
effects.
(P343) As
long as there is a tendency to look at faults in others, there will be no
peace of mind. When you do pratikraman all the faults will be erased. You
should do pratikraman for every file that has become sticky due to attachment
and abhorrence. Keep the focused awareness and then proceed
to do pratikraman to clear everything. Files due to
attachment definitely need pratikraman. If
you were sleeping on a nice comfortable mattress but there was grit in it,
would it not bother you until you took it out? In the same
manner, pratikraman is called for, when things bother you. Pratikraman needs
to be done only where there is an internal signal of conflict. And whatever
bothers the other person; he too will do the same! Everyone has different
kinds of pratikraman.
(P.347)
If
you have done atikraman towards anyone, then you should do pratikraman all day
in his name. When both parties do pratikraman, they can
become free of the faults much quicker. If you do five thousand pratikramans
or more and so does the other person, then things can be resolved faster.
However, if the other person does not do any pratikraman, you will have
to do ten thousand pratikramans in order to be free. Questioner:
It bothers me if something like this remains pending. Dadashri:
Do not carry around such a burden. Instead, sit down
one day for an hour and do pratikraman collectively for all your faults.
Towards whomever you did atikraman, sit down for one hour and wash off all the
faults. Do not go about with a feeling of a weight of an unfinished task.
(P.348) Such
knowledge about pratikraman has never before been disclosed to the world. The
world has never read or heard of such knowledge before.
What
happens when I make people sit and do pratikraman? One is made to recall the
faults from childhood onwards, and to wash them off with pratikraman, by
seeing the pure Self of the person against whom the errors were committed. In
such a pratikraman that takes a couple of hours a session, major portion of
the major faults are erased. Then the pratikraman process is repeated, this
time recalling the more subtle faults and these are also cleared. Then the
process is repeated again and this time even smaller faults are wiped out.
Thus practically all faults are wiped off. In
the two-hour session of pratikraman all the mistakes of this life are washed
off. When you make a firm decision not to repeat such faults again, that is
considered pratyakhyan. When
you sit down to do pratikraman, you will experience the ‘nectar’ from
within and you will feel very light. Are
you doing pratikraman? Do you feel light (a sense of freedom) when you do? Are
you doing pratikraman intensely? Recall everyone and do his
or her pratikraman. Start digging and looking for your
faults and do your pratikraman. As you start, your faults
will begin to come into your recollection and you will begin to see
everything. If you kicked someone eight years ago, you will
see that incident too. How do these events come into your recollection, when
otherwise they do not come even if you try to recall them? The moment you
begin your pratikraman, a link is established. Have you tried even once, to do
pratikraman for your whole life? Questioner:
Yes, once I had.
(P.352) Dadashri:
Still when you come to see your major root mistake then, you will
experience a lot of bliss. If you do not feel bliss when
you do pratikraman, it means that you have not learnt to do it properly. When
atikraman happens, if a person does not feel sorrow or remorse, then he is not
human. Questioner:
What fundamental mistakes, the major root mistake, are you talking about
Dada? Dadashri:
Before, you could not see any mistakes at all, could you? The
mistakes you see now are your gross mistakes. You will see
even beyond this level. Questioner:
Subtle, very subtle and extremely subtle….? Dadashri:
You will continue to see your mistakes.
(P.353) When
you do pratikraman for your entire life, you are neither in the state of
freedom nor are you in this worldly life. When you do
pratikraman, you are actually watching a documentary of your past. During this
time there are no interruptions from your mind, your intellect, your chit or
your ego. Your entire internal mechanism of mind,
intellect, chit and ego is silent. During that time only pragna (direct force
of the Self) is working. The pure Self is not doing anything.
When
mistakes are made, and they are not recognized in alert awareness, they become
concealed, and build up in layers. These layers continue to grow and at the
time of death, a summation of all these mistakes takes place in the final
hour. It
is because of the light of Gnan that you are presently able to see the faults
committed in the past; it has nothing to do with memory.
Questioner:
Does pratikraman have any effect on the Self? Dadashri:
No effect whatsoever can touch the Self. There is no effect on the
Self. There is absolutely no doubt that the Soul exists. It reigns beyond the
boundaries of memory, and that is why you are able to go beyond the memory.
The Self is a storehouse of infinite strength. This is strength is called
pragna shakti, which can break through all the layers from the core of the
earth. By doing pratikraman, you become filled with a sense of freedom and
that freedom is freedom from all attachment and abhorrence. All animosity is
naturally broken. And it does not matter if the other person is not there for
your pratikraman. Your pratikraman does not require his endorsement. When you
committed the faults, no witness was present. You commit most of the faults
against people in their absence anyway. In essence although
their very presence has precipitated these faults, they have not endorsed
them. The endorsement is the internal attachment and abhorrence.
Some
day if you are sitting alone, and you start to do pratikraman, the process
itself done or the focus of awareness along similar lines starts the
experience of the Self gelling within. The taste has arisen. This is the
experience of the Self.
(P.354) When
you begin to see everyone in your family as faultless, then you should know
that your pratikraman is true. People definitely are faultless; the whole
world is faultless. You are bound by your own mistakes, not
by theirs. When you understand this, you will be able to
resolve everything.
(P.355) Questioner:
It is absolutely resolved in my mind that this whole world is
faultless. Dadashri:
That is called your conviction. It has come into
your conviction that the world is faultless, but how much of this is in your
experience? It is not that easy. You can say that it has
come into your experience when you maintain this conviction even when
mosquitoes, bed bugs and snakes surround you. This conviction will remain.
When you see faults in anyone, it is your own mistake; you yourself are at
fault, and for that you must do pratikraman. In my
conviction, and experience the world is faultless. You
however, do not have the experience that this world is faultless. You still
see the faults in the world. You have to do pratikraman when someone does
something wrong to you, and that is because you see him as being at fault.
Questioner:
Does atikraman ever occur if one remains in the awareness of one’s
Pure Self? Dadashri:
Yes, you can have atikraman as well as pratikraman. If
you feel that you did not stay in your pure awareness and went off on the
wrong track and started seeing the world with the eyes of Chandulal, then you
should do pratikraman for loosing the awareness of the Self. Taking
the wrong path is a waste of time and energy, but there are no repercussions
from this because it does not hurt others and so pratikraman is not necessary.
You still have one more life to go so you need not worry about this for
the time being. But those who absolutely want to remain in
their awareness should do pratikraman.
(P.356) I
rarely ever use this vidhi. In Aurangabad, I did a vidhi to wash away faults
of countless past lives of mahatmas. It was a vidhi, in
which in one hour of pratikraman in w everyone’s ego was dissolved.
I used to do this vidhi of pratikraman once a year. There were about
three hundred people or more that wept intensely after the vidhi. All their
internal enemies were dissipated. Even the husbands prostrated at the feet of
their wives and asked for forgiveness. The bondage of so many lives was washed
away. There
in Aurangabad, a very major vidhi had to be performed, to clear the
negativities within the minds of mahatmas and their relative selves. The very
moment this vidhi was performed everyone was purified. They
were not even aware of what confessions they made in their letters to me, but
they would write down everything. The moment they confessed to me, they
surrendered to me and became one with me and their inner strength grew.
After
your confession, I would come to know your faults, and I would continue to do
vidhi for those faults. In the present time cycle, is there any shortage of
any kind of faults? In this time cycle, you are the one at fault if you look
at other people’s faults. You should not be looking at anyone’s faults but
at their positive qualities. What virtues does he have? In
this age there will be no virtues left; those with virtues are very elevated
mahatmas.
(P.358) All
the people, who are close to us and near us, have been with us in past lives
and are together with us even now. They are considered our spiritual
colleagues. It is with these very people that we have bound some vengeance
over lifetimes. So if both the sides were to do pratikraman, their accounts
would clear up very quickly. Do not forget anyone. Vengeance is bound more
strongly with spiritual aspirants who are your colleagues, and if you do face
to face pratikramans, your faults will be washed away. This
is the kind of pratikraman we did in Aurangabad. Such pratikraman has never
been done before anywhere else in the world
(P.359) Questioner:
Everyone, including the aristocrats was crying Dada. Dadashri:
Yes. What happened in Aurangabaad
was amazing. They all wept intensely. Even just one such
pratikraman done in a whole lifetime would be adequate. Questioner:
Where else would you find such prominent people crying?
It takes a very rare person to make them cry. Dadashri:
You are right. They cried a lot. Questioner:
That was the first time I had witnessed such prominent people cry so
openly. Dadashri:
They cried openly and fell at the feet of their wives. You must have
been there; did you see all that? Questioner:
Yes, I have never seen anything quite like it before. Dadashri:
It could never be anywhere else. Nowhere else is
there such an Akram Vignan, such pratikraman – there’s nothing like this. Questioner:
And nowhere else is there such a ‘Dada’! Dadashri:
Yes, nowhere else is there such a ‘Dada’.
(P.360)
Not having done true alochana is what becomes an obstacle to
liberation. There is no problem with the
faults. And with true alochana, no problems will remain.
And alochana has to be done to a Gnani Purush who is all-powerful. Have
you ever confessed your faults in this way? Who could you
confess to? Without doing alochana, there is no liberation.
Without alochana, who will forgive you? The Gnani Purush
can fulfill all one’s wishes, because he is not the doer. If he were the
doer, then he too would bind karma. But because he is not a doer, he can do
whatever he chooses. You
should do alochana to your guru. Your final guru is your
‘Dada Bhagwan’ (The Self that has awakened within you after Gnan Vidhi).
I merely show you the way. Now that I have shown you
your final Guru, he will continue to answer your questions and that is why he
is ‘Dada Bhagwan’. And until he takes over being your
living internal Lord, you may consider this ‘Dada’ and the Lord within as
your pure Self. When he becomes established within you, the
answers will come from within. Ultimately he will be fully enlightened.
(P.367) If
you hide things from the Gnani Purush, it will hinder you.
People do pratikraman in order to bring things out into the open. That
man brought so much baggage with him and he came here to confess everything.
What happens when you try to hide things? Your faults will remain
hidden and they will double. (P.368) You
ought to have the same familiarity with pratikraman as you do with a woman.
Just as you cannot forget a woman, in the same manner you cannot forget to do
pratikraman. All day long you should keep asking for
forgiveness. You should make it a habit to ask for forgiveness. Instead you
make it a habit to see faults in others. (P.371) You
should start the sacrificial fire of intense pratikraman for whomever you have
had excessive atikraman with. You have done so many atikramans. All
these problems you have are because you have not done pratikraman. This
pratikraman is my most subtle discovery. If you can understand this discovery
of pratikraman, then you will not have any problems with anyone. Questioner:
My list of faults is very long. Dadashri:
If it is long, then for the hundred different kinds of fault with just
one person, you should a collective pratikraman.
(P.375) Questioner:
It will be better if this drama of life comes to an end quickly. Dadashri:
Why do you say such a thing? Questioner:
You were in this town for twenty days and I was not able to come to
even one of your satsang. Dadashri:
Do you have to bring your life to end for that? You
have come to know ‘Dada Bhagwan’, through this body of yours, so you
should be indebted to it. You must take care of it. You have to take whatever
medicine is necessary to care for it. It is through this body that you have
met Dada. You have lost countless bodies – all of them
were wasted. This body has become a friend because you met Dada through it.
It has become a friend so look after it. Tonight do
pratikraman for having spoken this way. 25.
Understanding The Principles Behind Pratikraman Questioner:
When we become engrossed in the activities and workings of the relative
self, our awareness becomes shrouded and consequently we are not able to
discharge our karma completely. The realization comes later
on, so is there a way to do pratikraman for this so that we can discharge the
karma? Dadashri:
When you do pratikraman, your karmas will become lighter.
When they come again, they will be even lighter. But if you do not do
pratikraman, then the same burden will return with the same weight. All these
are discharge karmas and through repeated pratikramans they will become
progressively lighter and then end. Questioner:
You say that atikraman is neutral(does not charge karma for mahatmas)
so why is there a need to do pratikraman? Dadashri:
Atikraman is neutral. But when one becomes engrossed
in it one plants the seed (a cause for a new karma). If you
do not become engrossed during atikraman then you do not create any causes.
Atikraman in itself does not do anything. And with
pratikraman, even when you do not become engrossed in it, it will give
results. You are the knower of when Chandubhai becomes engrossed and also when
he does not. You (the Self) never becomes engrossed.
It is the mind, the intellect, the chit and the ego that become engrossed and
‘You’ are the Knower and Seer of these. Questioner:
If Chandubhai becomes engrossed, then we have to tell Chandubhai to do
pratikraman, right? Dadashri:
Yes, Chandubhai has to do pratikraman. Questioner:
Is it possible to do pratikraman in dreams? Dadashri:
Yes, you can do pratikraman very well. The pratikraman you do in your
dreams are better than the ones you do now. Right now you do them quickly, but
whatever work gets done during the state of dreaming is very methodical.
It is also very good when you see Dada in your dreams. You
can see Dada better in your dreams than you can in your wakeful state. This is
because dreams are a natural and spontaneous state. And
here this state of wakefulness is unnatural.
(P.383) In
the kramic path, when one becomes Self-Realized, there is no pratikraman for
him. After acquiring the Self, pratikraman is considered
poison. For us, the Self does not have to do pratikraman, we make Chandulal do
the pratikraman. Because this is Akram Vignan, there
is still a lot of baggage left inside. When
you do pratikraman for the person you have wronged, do you know which self in
that person you are referring to? You are not doing
pratikraman to the relative self, but the pure Self. You are doing pratikraman
and asking for forgiveness because of the transgression you have committed
against that person in the presence of his pure Self.
Therefore you are asking that pure Self for forgiveness. After that,
you are not concerned with his relative self. Pratikraman
is done by the ego, but it is pragna that prompts the ego to do pratikraman.
(P.
405) The
subtlest of faults (within A. M. Patel) do not escape my observation.
None amongst you can tell that these faults are taking place, because
they are not visible. Questioner:
Can you also see our faults? Dadashri:
Yes I can see all of them. But I am not concerned with those faults. I
am instantly aware of them, but my vision is directed towards your pure Self.
It is never focused on the unfolding effects of your karma. Even when
the faults are apparent they have no effect on me. (P.416) Even
those who are liable for a punishment for their karma are also worthy of
forgiveness here from me. This forgiveness is spontaneous and natural; the
person does not have to request me for it. People become pure wherever there
is spontaneous forgiveness. Where people are required to ask for it, that is
the very place one becomes impure, because egos are involved. Where the
forgiveness is spontaneous, everything becomes pure.
(P.419) As
long as there is naturalness within me, no pratikraman is required. This would
also apply to you if you were to become natural as well. The moment one loses
the natural state, one has to do pratikraman. Whenever you look at me, you
will see naturalness. I always remain in my natural state,
the pure Self, and that never changes.
(P.420) After
I give you this Gnan, I also give you the Five Agnas for your protection, so
that you stay as the Self. And if you remain within these Agnas, you will
attain liberation. In addition to this, whenever atikraman happens, you must
do pratikraman. If you forget to abide by my Agnas, you
must do pratikraman. To forget is a human quality, but do
pratikraman nevertheless. Do pratikraman in this way:
‘Dada, I forgot to abide by your Agnas for the last two hours, I do want to
follow your Agnas. Please forgive me.’ Then you will be
forgiven.
(P.422) This
is Akram Vignan. Vignan means that it is a Science and
therefore it gives immediate results. Where there is no
need to do anything that is called a science, and wherever one has to do
something, that is all relative religion.
The
thinkers amongst you will wonder how without doing anything, they have managed
to acquire this Akram Vignan. That is the beauty of Akram
Vignan; ‘A-kram’! Without kram!
(P.432) Jai
Sat Chit Anand The
Awareness Of The Eternal Is Bliss
With
deep reverence and gratitude, Dada
Return
To The Beginning Of This Book Pratikraman
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Read
Other Great Books Of Dadashri Online: Karma
: The Scientific Understanding Of Life After Life Ahimsa:
The Non-Violence Of The Enlightened Ones Questioner:
What is the most important thing a human being should do in this life?
Questioner:
When
we carry out our normal daily activities of the body, do we have to repent for
it?
Questioner:
How do we know if we have done atikraman?
Questioner:
So then what is pratikraman?
5.
The Way of Akram Vignan
Dadashri:
Pratikraman
should be done because of your past life cause which has come into effect now.
And it done because you are now becoming the instrument in his binding a new
karma.
10.
When Conflicts Arise
15.
On The Path Of Cause Ahimsa
16.
Vengeance of Enmity Is Unbearable
18.
He Who Conquers Sexual Impulses is The King of Kings
20.
Awareness While Speaking…
Questioner:
Do we have to do pratikraman for our thoughts?
