________________
[7] Business Transactions Become Pure
167
mistakes I have made, I am asking for forgiveness.' You do not have to do it individually.
Questioner: I have to do collective pratikraman?
Dadashri: Yes, you have to say that, 'Owing to my strict nature, and in the process of doing my official duty of the Government, whoever has been hurt by my conduct, I ask for forgiveness.' You should say that every day.
You May Scold But...
Questioner: When a boss scolds an employee, the employee will feel hurt, will he not? If an employee does something wrong, does the boss not have a right to scold him?
Dadashri: Scolding carries a great responsibility. You should scold in a way that it does not 'burn' your hands and that the employee does not get hurt. Generally, people do not stop to consider this and they start scolding. Whatever is going to occur to the one being scolded will be, but the one doing the scolding carries a grave liability. He becomes trapped. (156)
Questioner: He has a responsibility as a boss, so he has to take steps to meet his obligations. So what can he do? He has no choice but to do it, right?
Dadashri: No, he can do that, but find a way so that it will not hurt the other person.
Questioner: What other way can he find? If the worker is not doing his job, he has to be told off, does he not?
Dadashri: But when you scold him, do you weigh your scolding or not? Can scolding be weighed before it is given? Can you scold him worth a quarter pound? No? So how can you do that?
Questioner: It is done without 'weighing,' but it is understood that certain steps will be taken if one does not do
168
Pratikraman
his work. All these rules are agreed upon.
Dadashri: There is no problem in taking steps within the rule on paper, but your scolding is done through your mouth. So when you do that, do you 'weigh' your scolding or do you do it without weighing it?
Questioner: But, Dada, if he does not do the work he has been assigned and the task remains unfinished, should I not scold him?
Dadashri: Yes, you have to scold him.
Questioner: Sometimes the scolding has to be done, or else I have to let him go; I have to dismiss him from work. Then I feel bad that his children will go hungry.
Dadashri: But it is like this. You have to warn him that, 'I will have to dismiss you, so make sure that you do your work carefully.'
Questioner: We warn him, we give it to him in writing that he is not doing his job, that his work is not satisfactory and that he will be fired. We give him all that in writing.
Dadashri: What after that?
Questioner: After that, we have to let him go if he does not improve. Then when we let him go, his poor children come here to my home crying. We feel hurt and they feel hurt.
Dadashri: If you want to stop feeling hurt, then you should let go. Finish the work yourself.
Questioner: If I do not take these steps, then I get scolded by upper management.
Dadashri: Take those steps, but do it with the awareness of, 'I am Shuddhatma and 'Chandubhai' is now taking all the steps.' There is no problem in that. The entire 'Chandubhai' is a discharge. Therefore, 'You' are not liable for 'Chandubhai'
