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[9] Pratikraman in Varying Situations
have you abused him a lot?
Questioner: I am doing a lot of pratikraman in his name. Dadashri: Yes, do it daily: 'I am asking for his forgiveness' and 'Dear Dada Bhagwan, grant me the energies not to hurt or abuse him.' Keep on asking for this and 'we' do grant that, if you ask for it. (178)
Questioner: I will ask for it every day.
Dadashri: Good.
189
Questioner: If I have hurt anyone in the slightest and I get a free moment and do his pratikraman, will that do?
Dadashri: You have to do that at the time. You have no desire to hurt anyone anymore, do you?
Questioner: Sometimes I do end up hurting others. Dadashri: What do you do when that occurs?
Questioner: Pratikraman.
Dadashri: If you do pratikraman, your case will not go to the court of Nature. Settle it by saying, 'Sir, I ask for your forgiveness.'
Karma Destroyed through Repenting
Questioner: What is it called when, after treating someone with contempt, you are repentant?
Dadashri: If you are repentant, you will break the habit of being contemptuous. However, if you feel no repentance and on the contrary feel good about yourself and your deeds, that is a sign of going downwards to lower life forms. You must have repentance after doing something wrong.
Questioner: What should I do to be free if I have hurt someone so badly that he is seriously depressed?
190
Pratikraman
Dadashri: Do pratikraman. And if you happen to meet that person again, then you should tell him, 'I am stupid. This is a serious mistake of mine, please forgive me.' His wounds will heal when you say this.
Solution for the Effects of Contempt of Past Life
Questioner: What should we do in order not to suffer the effects of contemptuous behavior towards others in the past?
Dadashri: For acts of contempt there is no other solution but repeated pratikramans. You have to keep on doing pratikraman until that person comes around. And if you occur to meet him face to face, then you should speak to him nicely and ask for forgiveness directly. Tell 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, his hurt will lessen and his wounds will heal.
'We' can 'see' the effect of contempt from previous lives; therefore, I am telling you not to be contemptuous towards anyone. Do not mistreat people. If you treat your workers with contempt, they will take revenge in their next life. They may even become a snake and bite you out of enmity. Contempt will never free you from its grip. Only pratikraman can save you. Can Such Serious Demerit Karma Be Washed Away?
Questioner: If we have made someone miserable beyond words and have hurt him so deeply that we cannot remove his pain, will we bind karma even if we do pratikraman?
Dadashri: You should continue to do pratikraman in his name. Do pratikraman with the same intensity as the intensity of pain you caused him.
Questioner: A mother-in-law says something to her