Pratikramana Freedom Through Apology and Repentance

Author(s): Dada Bhagwan
Publisher: Dada Bhagwan Foundation

Page 43

Pratikraman
pratikraman its residue will instantly disintegrate in the next life.
Doership is the support on which karma are bound. Now that you are no longer the doer, no new karma will be bound. The remaining karma from your past will bring forth their effects and then dissipate. (P.285)
72
Questioner: If a person speaks while he is irritated would that be atikraman?
Dadashri: Of course it is an atikraman.
Questioner: What would happen if we hurt someone with our speech, but we do not do any pratikraman?
Dadashri: When you speak harshly, it will naturally hurt the other person. How can you be happy with hurting someone? Questioner: Do we bind karmas because of this?
Dadashri: Is it not against the spiritual law to hurt anyone? And by doing so, have you not violated the law? When you follow my Agnas, you are practicing dharma, so then why not do pratikraman? What is wrong in doing it? Ask for forgiveness and make a firm resolution that you will not make the same mistake again. Is there even a need for you to look for justice? If one understands the relative life as it really is, then one would understand justice. It is because of your own past accounts that your neighbor insults you. In the same token it is because of the other person's past account that you speak harshly with him, but because you want to be liberated, you have to do pratikraman. (P.286)
Questioner: Because of our Gnan, it does not affect me when people are rude or spiteful towards me. The problem is that sometimes I do end up speaking harshly during such times. At
Pratikraman
such times if I take into account what you have just said that my speech is a consequence of his karma account, is it a misuse of Gnan? Does this not support my own rude behavior towards others?
73
Dadashri: You must not use what I say as an excuse to escape your faults. Under such circumstances you have to do pratikraman. If you say something hurtful to someone, you must do pratikraman. If you accept the other person's rude language, and understand that his speech is not under his control, but is dependent on other factors, then it should not affect you at all. (P.287)
Questioner: Would you be committing a sin if you told a lie for the sake of liberation?
Dadashri: Anything that you do for the Self is not considered a sin. Anything that is done for the body is considered a sin if it hurts others and it is a virtue if it helps others. When the intent is solely the salvation of the world, whatever deeds are done will not bind karma. However in the process, if you become instrumental in someone's suffering, pratikraman is necessary.
(P.289)
Questioner: If we do not notice the effect of our pratikraman on the other person, does that mean that we are not doing it sincerely or is it because the other person has too many veils on his spirituality?
Dadashri: Do not concern yourself too much about the state of the other person. He may even be insane, who knows? You need to be sure that you are not instrumental in hurting him.
Questioner: Therefore we should attempt to bring about a closure for any hurt we have caused him?