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

Pratikraman Means to Turn Back from Demerit Karma

Dadashri: What is the meaning of pratikraman? Do you know?

Seeker: No.

Dadashri: Tell me the way you understand it.

Seeker: It is to turn back from demerit karma (paap).

Dadashri: To turn back from demerit karma! What wonderful justice the Lord has given, that to turn back from demerit karma is called pratikraman. But the demerit karmas still continue. Why is that?

Seeker: You are the only one to explain that. One is alochana, the second is pratikraman and the third is pratyakhyan; I do not understand these three words completely.

Dadashri: Pratyakhyan means ‘I am letting go of that thing today, I am giving it up.’ That is the intent behind it. If you want to give up something, then you have to do pratyakhyan.

Seeker: Pratikraman would be to repent. Is pratyakhyan to resolve never to repeat the mistake?

Dadashri: Yes, repentance is called pratikraman. Once pratikraman is done, the atikraman will not occur again. To vow, ‘I will never do that again. I promise not to repeat the mistake again,’ is called pratyakhyan.When you do pratyakhyan in this way in your mind, one layer of karma will be shed. Now if the same atikraman should occur again, it is because of another layer of karma so you should not be worried; you should just continue doing pratikraman.

Seeker: I should ask for forgiveness in my mind.

Dadashri: Yes, you have to ask for forgiveness.

Alochana

Seeker: What is alochana?

Dadashri: Alochana is to confess your misdeed exactly the way it occurred to your guru or to the Gnani. What do they call that in the court?

Seeker: To make a confession.

Dadashri: Yes, you should tell your guru or the Gnani Purush everything exactly as it occurred, without fear. You should not be afraid of what the guru will say; to be afraid, means he may even hit you! But you should confess everything to him without any fear. Then the guru will tell you to do pratikraman. So what do you have to do pratikraman for? The amount of pratikraman one needs to do depends on the amount of atikraman one did. Atikraman includes deeds that are unacceptable by society and the world – deeds that are condemned and anything that hurts others. If any of this applies, pratikraman is necessary.

Seeker: After doing alochana and pratikraman, should one not be aware that the mistake does not occur again?

Dadashri: That mistake will never occur again. True pratikraman is one where that mistake will never occur again, or it will gradually come to an end.

When you say that having done pratikraman, the mistake occurs again, that is referring to the kind of pratikraman that is done in the worldly life; it is a laukik pratikraman. Laukik means that it rewards you with a worldly life. When he does pratikraman, at least for the duration of that time he is not doing adharma (wrong karma through thought, speech and actions) and he binds merit karma (punya).

What is real pratikraman? It should be ‘shoot-on-sight’ pratikraman. Do they not have a rule of ‘shoot-on-sight’ during mass riots? That is how pratikraman should be. (16)

The guru had said to do pratikraman, but after doing pratikraman, pratyakhyan should be done too. One should do pratyakhyan by recalling the guru’s face and do pratyakhyan thus; ‘I will not make the mistake again.’ Pratyakhyan of your mistake means, ‘I will not do it again.’ Hence, all the three, alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan, should be done together.

Seeker: And should one maintain awareness that it does not occur again?

Dadashri: Constant awareness! Awareness does not mean for half an hour but it should be constant for twenty-four hours. Constantly! These people, after attaining Gnan from me, maintain constant awareness. They have not slept, lost awareness, for even a second.

If anyone who is not Self-realized has awareness and does pratikraman, then his wrong actions will decrease by that much and he will bind new merit karma (punya). As long as one has darshan mohaniya (right belief deluding karma or ignorance of the Self), one will continue to bind karma.

Alochana is always there with pratikraman. And pratikraman is the greatest spiritual weapon. So if you catch on to pratikraman dharma, meaning you practice pratikraman, then you will be fine even if you do not have a guru. Therefore, if you learn just this much from Dada, it is more than enough. This encompasses everything. Ask for forgiveness from ‘Dada’ whenever you do something wrong. You will become free from that misdeed. Is this difficult? Is Dada asking you to fast (as penance) for your wrong deeds? If Dada were to tell everyone to fast, people will feel that Dada starves them, but does Dada do that?

When someone insults you and you are affected by his actions, but you feel that it is a consequence of your own mistake and you continue to do pratikraman, then that is the Lord’s greatest Gnan. That verily will take you to liberation(moksha). If you abide by just one word or one sentence of ‘ours,’ it will take you to moksha. What will you do with anything else?

There is Atikraman As Long As There is Belief of Doership

Dadashri: You have to understand who binds karma. What is your name?

Seeker: My name is ‘Chandulal.’

Dadashri: Then the one who says, ‘I am Chandulal’ is the one that binds karma. Then even when you go to sleep, karmas are being bound throughout the night. What is the reason behind this? This is because ‘I am Chandulal’ is false assertion(aropit bhaav). You are really the pure Soul but you say you are ‘Chandulal’ [reader should insert his or her name here] and so you are in violation of the truth. In reality, you are not ‘Chandulal,’ and yet you claim that you are. ‘I am Chandulal’ is a false assertion and, with this belief, you are continuously charging karma. With your conviction of ‘I am Chandulal’ comes a series of other wrong beliefs such as, ‘I am her husband; his uncle; her father; their boss; etc.’ Even in your sleep you bind karma. There is no way to avoid karma bondage during sleep but if you purify your ego -‘I am Chandulal,’ then you will bind less karma.

Even after the ego becomes somewhat clean, you will still have to perform some rituals. If your daughter-in-law breaks something expensive and you shout at her, ‘You have no sense,’ 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 be erased or it will become lighter. (18)

Whenever you do atikraman, if you hurt someone in any way, you should erase it with pratikraman. It should be a ‘shoot-on-sight’ (instantaneous) pratikraman and not the kind that 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 Vitarags, your suffering will depart.

This is How You Do Pratikraman

That which has become automatic is called atikraman and pratikraman is what you will have to learn. Atikraman is automatically learned and done. If you want to shove or push someone, you do not have to learn to do it. You have learned that by observing others. Now, if you do atikraman, you have to do pratikraman. Generally, when people are sitting around talking, there is no need to do pratikraman. But if there is any pushing or shoving or making fun at the expense of another human being, that is atikraman and for that one should do pratikraman .

Seeker: How does one do pratikraman?

Dadashri: If you have attained Self-realization, you will have awareness of the Self within the other person. It is precisely the Self within that person that you should address. Otherwise, you can direct yourpratikraman towards God by saying, ‘O Lord! I repent for my mistake. I ask for your forgiveness and resolve never to repeat it.’

Text: Dada Bhagwan Aradhana Trust
Images: Dada Bhagwan Aradhana Trust
Publication Date: 07-07-2017

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