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Aptavani-2
397
Alochana - Pratikraman - Pratyakhyan
is considered compliance of the mahavrat of non-stealing: it does not matter whether one is an ascetic, a renunciant or a married man, they are all worldly people.
People of ethics and high moral values do not steal; they are not devious and they do not cheat people. They do not tell big lies but they tell many little ones. Today however, everything has turned rotten; including the mahavrat. So have anuvrats! They used to be good at one time, but what can anyone do now? Nevertheless, it is all due to circumstances. Today entire Hindustan is in ruins, is it not? Otherwise it can never be like this. However, no one is guilty because it has been ruined due to circumstances.
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Alochana means to confess of your mistakes exactly as they are to a trustworthy person (aptajana). It is a confession of mistakes in front of the Gnani Purush. Alochana will erase the mistake entirely. Alochana alone can lead you to moksha. If a person steals, but comes to me and confesses, I will do a vidhi (special spiritual energies invoked by the Gnani Purush) for him, then that mistake will be erased and he will no longer feel the burden of his wrongdoing. You can do alochana in front of anyone whom you trust completely, otherwise, this world is such that people will misuse that information. If someone places trust in you, then you should strive to be one hundred percent trustworthy. Do not break that trust. Really, alochana can only be done in front of the trustworthy Gnani Purush. The Lord has placed a lot of importance on alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan
Pratyakhyan is to make a firm decision not to repeat the same mistake again.
This incident took place about fifteen years ago in Mamani Poda (place in Vadodara where Dadashri used to live). A few of us were sitting and talking when we saw a bewildered looking 78-year-old man running towards the derasar (Jain temple); he had a small container in his hands. I asked him, "Uncle, where are you going?" He replied, "Brother, to do padakmanu. " I asked him, "What is padakmanu?" He told me, "Wait! I will ask the maharaj (Jain priest) and let you know tomorrow!"
The Lord knew that a strange and peculiar time was