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[3] These Are Not Lord Mahavir's Pratikramans
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What if the Guidance is Crooked? Seeker: Dada, we are doing this pratikraman.
Dadashri: Do you know how to do pratikraman? That is all fine. This is like placing a jewel in the palm of a child. Pratikraman can only be done, truly, after one understands it having attained Self-realization. In order to do pratikraman, you have to have the one who makes one do pratikraman (the Self) and the doer (non-Self) of pratikraman. You need it all together. Who is the one making you do pratikraman?
Seeker: The maharaj makes us do pratikraman. I do not understand what pratikraman is, but in it he says this male doll and female doll are married, they did this and that; all that is demerit karma and for that they make us do 'michhami dukkadam' pratikraman.
Dadashri: No, there is no demerit karma taking place in what the maharaj is telling you. They have free time on their hands and because they have not become enlightened (samkit), their minds have become ruined and they have ruined the minds of others.
Now even to speak this way is wrong because Krupadudev Shrimad Rajchandra (Gnani of the Kramic path) has said that if a person is doing that and you tell him he is wrong, then he will stop doing even that much pratikraman. Therefore, do not say anything.
That is why pratikraman has been ruined - because it has come to this level. Even as it is, it is acceptable. One cannot get rid of it altogether. You have to make do with whatever there is. Things will improve out of this. The time is improving it.
There is No Need for Ornaments There
Seeker: Is there a particular technique of doing pratikraman?
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Pratikraman
Dadashri: If you do not know anything else, ask for forgiveness: 'Dear Dada, with you as my witness, I do not understand this one way or another.' There is no need for a technique here. What is your intent?
Clever people will then take the goal and make it 'ornamental'-elaborate. And when they do that, people get scared that they do not understand anything and they cannot do it. Hey, you! The heck with it! Just ask for forgiveness. Say, 'Dear Lord, I do not understand it but I have made a mistake and, with you as my witness, I ask for forgiveness.' Should there be anything 'omamental' here?
Atikraman at Every Step
You may earn a 'dime' or 'two' in a year with the kind of pratikraman (Kramic) you are doing. Whereas when you do the real pratikraman, you will earn a 'dollar' for every hour of every day for three hundred, sixty-five days of the year!
Do you understand what real pratikraman is? We do kraman (normal actions) in the worldly life. Kraman means, 'Dear Mom, give me some food to eat.' The mother will give you food to eat. There is no problem there. But when you say, 'Mom, you made this curry very salty!' then that is considered atikraman. And whenever you do atikraman, you have to do pratikraman for it. There is no need to do pratikraman if you do not do any atikraman. Do people do atikraman?
Questioner: Atikraman occurs automatically.
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Dadashri: The Lord has told us to do pratikraman whenever we do atikraman. There is no problem if you do not do atikraman. There is no need for pratikraman if you give me salty curry and I eat it.
Questioner: Atikraman occurs at every step.
Dadashri: Then as long as atikraman occurs, you will