Disclaimer: This translation does not guarantee complete accuracy, please confirm with the original page text.
For Sadhus, Sadhvis, Shravaks, and Shravikas, Pratikraman is absolutely essential for the atonement of actions performed during the evening and morning. There are six essential sutras for study: (1) Samayik (2) Chaturvinshati Stav (3) Vandana (4) Pratikraman (5) Kayotsarga (6) Pratyakhyan.
1. Samayik
Regarding the practice of Samayik, the great Gautama Swami asked the Lord Mahavira:
Q: "Bante! What does Samayik create in a being?"
A: "Samayik creates detachment from the path of worldly attachments."
What a poignant question and answer that touches the soul! What joy does the soul experience that has drunk the nectar of equality? The question seems serious, but the answer is even more profound.
O Gautama! Through Samayik, the soul becomes detached from the tendency of worldly attachments. The soul's inclination has been running towards the inauspicious for a long time. The practice of Samayik removes the soul from the inauspicious inclination, connects it to the auspicious, and leads it towards purity.
Just as a person, when he ties animals with a nail, has no fear of them running away, similarly, those who practice equanimity tie the inauspicious inclination with Samayik, and then there is no fear of going towards vices. The meaning of Samayik is not just to stop physical actions, but also to stop inauspicious mental actions. The main foundation of Samayik is the mind. Until Samayik comes into the mind, the Samayik of the body has no special significance. King Prasannacandra's body was in Samayik, but his mind was entangled in other adverse emotions. The body was in equanimity, but the mind was inclined towards destruction. The instability of the mind bound him in a bond worthy of the seventh hell, but as soon as the mind also became inclined towards equanimity along with the body, he attained liberation by destroying all karmas.
2. Chaturvinshati-Stav
The second study of the essential sutras is Chaturvinshati Stav. Before reaching the field of criticism, it is necessary to purify the field. The seeker should first become stable in equanimity, then praise the great men of virtue. The praise of the virtues of great men is a source of inspiration for every seeker. Until the human mind takes refuge in the present twenty-four, who have become the twenty-four best artists of spiritual life, it will not be able to learn spiritual art. In this regard, Ganadhar Gautama asks the Lord Mahavira:
Q: "Bante! What does Chaturvinshati create in a being?"
A: "Chaturvinshati creates the knowledge of the twenty-four."
1. Uttaraadhyayana, A. 29 Sutra 9
2. Uttaraadhyayana A. 29 Sutra 10
[10]