Jain Digest 2003 09 Vol 22 No 3

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 13

PRATIKRAMANA- A STEP TOWARDS ETERNITY
To err is human, but to realize one's faults, repent, confess and rectify them is superhuman! Most of the world religions proclaim and propound periodic atonements in order to purify the self from the transgressions of vows or wrongdoings, by the elimination of the long accumulated karmas. The penance thus performed serves a two-fold purpose - to help in the dissociation of past karmas and to keep away from its influx and bondage.
Call it 'Confession' of the Christians, the 'Vedic Sandhya', the 'Namaaz' of the Muslims, 'Upasana' of the Buddhists, 'Khordeha Avesta' of the Parsis or 'Pratikramana' of the Jainas. Each ritual is meant to impel the soul to keep away from inauspicious acts and come closer to auspicious actions.
The Pratikramana of the Jainas is not only a part of one of the six internal penances but also an 'Avasyaka Kriya'. Here the term Avasyaka does not imply the basic necessities of life, but a type of indispensable, obligatory duty that helps one to invoke the latent potentiality, the dormant energy that lies within the omnipotent, omniscient, all-powerful Soul.
What is the essence of Pratikramana and why is it necessary to perform it daily? According to the 'Tatvarthasutra' of Shri Umaswami the word Pratikramana means 'To repent for the wrongdoings and to be alert, not to repeat the same mistake again'. While according to Acharya Haribhadrasuri's Yogashastra it is - "The return of the soul from ashubha yoga to shubha yoga' i.e. the return to its original state of purity.
Most of us ask for pardon and forgive the wrongdoers by mere utterance of the two words 'Michchhami Dukkadam'. The point is, do we utter the words as a matter of practice or do we mean it from the bottom of our hearts? Day in and day out we hurt a number of people and other beings knowingly or unknowingly with our thoughts, words and actions. All these misdeeds, in some way or the other, do pinch our conscience. Even a butcher, for that matter, feels sorry for a moment for the violent act that he commits as a part of his duty. Each one of us has a divine and evil spirit residing within us. We all exclusively have good and evil thoughts static in our minds. It is up to each one of us to invoke the Godly thoughts and discard the evil ones.
This Self-introspection to discriminate between good and bad, meritorious and demeritorious acts is what leads one to the right path and enhances the physical, mental and spiritual quality of
life.
Mere utterance of sorry, please, thank you has little meaning until it comes from the bottom of your heart, until it stirs you, pinches you, makes you restless and on being pardoned, calms you down, moves you and impels you to make a firm decision of
not repeating the same mistake again and again.
For most Shravakas, Pratikramana is a routine work, a
lengthy, complex, time consuming duty to be performed, for still others, a burden levied by their families, and for some a mere traditional practice.
What is it that leads us to the wrongdoings? The external environmental factors, attachment and aversion, the avarice to acquire more and more dissatisfies one and compels him to leave his serene, calm quietudeness and this leads the soul astray. The desire to acquisition knows no bounds and the hunt for pleasure is never-ending. Little does one know that this pseudo happiness is temporary and ephemeral in nature.
According to various scriptures it is said, that merely keeping away from sins, repenting and confessing is not true Pratikramana. True Pratikramana is:
1) To criticize one's faults, confess before a guru and agree upon the expiation given.
2) To confess, censure and accept sins before a guru and to make up one's mind not to repeat the sin again.
3) To leave passions, attachments, aversions towards worldly objects and meditate upon the Atma.
4) To refrain from immoral actions and perform devotional
acts.
5) To give up the wrong, vicious path and to follow the path shown by the Tirthankaras.
6) To meditate upon the Soul and follow Right Conduct, Right Faith and Right Knowledge.
7) To leave 'Arta' and 'Raudra' dhyana and meditate upon Dharma and Shukla dhyana.
Thus Pratikramana done with true repentance and total detachment from worldly life for self-elevation leads to Nirjara. The accumulated karmas are slowly shed off and the karma-laden soul now feels light-weighted just as we do after a bath. The person acquires mental peace and happiness.
Hence one must make it a regular habit to perform
Pratikramana, which is the best way to shed-off karmas and free one from the shackles of bondage to reach the Siddhashila, the dream of every Soul, a step towards eternity.
RAKSHA SHAH shahraksha99@hotmail.com
JAIN DIGEST-Fall 2003/11