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I am the Soul
255 Brothers! This is the answer! The true Dharma of the self is never recognised because the ego is not given up. And hence one does not resign from the dharmas of the inanimate, the mind, the senses and the body. Mistaking the affected disposition of passions etc., for the true disposition, one who remains engrossed in them, is a Matarthi.
Therefore, raise a boundary of vratas and learn the art of scaring away the birds above. Learn to analyse the attitudes for this. Brothers! The device for examining our attitudes is our Pratikraman! Many of us have not understood what Pratikraman is. Hence they wonder what is to be achieved by doing Pratikraman? Why, for that matter, the mind is not willing to do it even during the days of the Paryushan or even for one last day as samwatsari.
I am reminded of a young brother whom I once explained what Pratikraman stood for as he was keen on knowing, and after that he was in tears. He said, “Mahasatiji! Do pardon me! We had never understood Pratikraman in this way. As such we have severely ridiculed Pratikraman and those who observed it.” He continued, “We never wanted to attend Pratikraman even on Samwatsari days, but since the elders pushed us out for it, we would have to go. We went after sunset in the dark. While the others did the kausagga (91347) of 40 logassa (CRF), we would place a bhajji, which we would carry in good quantity, in the hands of each one of them and then quietly escape from there. Then there would be a great ruckus. “Who did this? Who kept the bhajjis?' But who would know?”
Brothers! Just imagine! What a situation! What a way of thinking! What mischief! What a great insult of Dharma! And why all this? Simply out of ignorance. But have you ever enquired - what is this Pratikraman? There is nothing extraordinary about it! It is an exposition of the natural attitudes of the human mind
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