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To err is the greatest mistake, and this mistake later becomes a thorn in life.
What is Pratikraman? What is its relationship with the soul? The disciple asks - Q - Paddikkamaṇeṇam bhanta! Jīve kiṁ jaṇayai? A - Paddikkamaṇeṇam vayachiddāṇi pihei pihiyavayachiddē puṇ jīve niruddhasavē, asabalacaritē aṭṭhasu
payavaṇamāyāsu uvauṭṭē apuhatṭē suppanihiē biharai॥
O Lord! What specific quality does the soul attain by performing Pratikraman? Resolving the disciple's curiosity, the Lord says - Through Pratikraman, the practitioner covers the holes in his vows. He removes the lapses that occur in his vows due to negligence. The pure-vowed soul, by stopping the influx of karmas, becomes free from the defects of the body, etc., and with pure restraint, becomes vigilant in the eight Pravachanamatras and, engrossed in restraint, directs his senses towards the right path and wanders in the path of restraint.
From the perspective of time, there are five types of Pratikraman - (1) Daivasik, (2) Ratrik, (3) Paakshik, (4) Chaturmasik and (5) Saavatsarik.
1. Daivasik - Pratikraman performed at the end of the day is Daivasik.
2. Ratrik - Pratikraman performed at the end of the night, i.e., criticizing the faults committed during the night.
3. Paakshik - Criticizing the sins at the end of fifteen days.
4. Chaturmasik - Performing Pratikraman for the faults committed in four months on the full moon days of Kartik, Falgun and Ashadh after four months.
5. Saavatsarik - Criticizing the faults committed throughout the year on the fiftieth or fiftieth day from Ashadh Purnima.
In the field of sadhana, Mithyatva, Avrat, Pramad, Kashay and Ashubh Yoga are considered to be five defects. Every day during Pratikraman, the practitioner introspects his life and sees whether he is not leaving the path of Samyaktva and moving towards the thorny path of Mithyatva? Is he not forgetting the true nature of the vow and going towards Avrat? Is his mind not getting trapped in the stressful environment of Pramad, leaving the peaceful environment of Apramattatva? Is he not going towards the foul-smelling enclosure of Kashay, leaving the fragrant garden of Akashay? Is the tendency of the yogas not engaged in Ashubhyoga, leaving Shubhyoga? If I have gone into Mithyatva, Avrat, Pramad, Kashay and Ashubh Yoga, then I should again engage in Samyaktva, Vrat, Akashayata, Apramad and Shubh Yoga.
Pratikraman is an unparalleled art of the life of a practitioner and the essence of Jain sadhana. There is no action in which faults cannot be committed due to negligence. One should perform Pratikraman to get rid of those faults. In Pratikraman, the practitioner
1. Uttaraadhyayanasutra A. 29 Sutra 12
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