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Freedom from the Chains of Life-After-Life Accounts
How to Be Free From Past and Future Life Accounts?
Questioner: What should we do to be free from the relations of previous lives (past life accounts; roonanubandha) that are now in front of us?
Dadashri: If you are forced to live with someone you do not like, then on the outside you should continue your worldly relationship with that person - and from within you should do pratikraman in his name. The suffering for you in this life is the effect of your atikraman in your past life. What were the causes behind your suffering today? In your previous life you did atikraman against that person and, as a result, in this life you have to suffer the consequences. If you do pratikraman now in the presence of whichever God you worship, you will erase your mistakes. Repeated pratikramans will wipe off the many mistakes that have been caused in these sticky (cheekani) relationships. (162)
If a man dislikes his wife, he will see many mistakes in her and will harp on her negative points. This constant faultfinding leads to scorn (tiraskar). The scorn leads to fear. He will experience fear in certain interactions with her and when he sees her, he feels a sense of suffocation and uneasiness. We all tend to be afraid of those or that which we dislike intensely. All this is a result of scorn. In order to break free from this feeling of
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contempt, one has to keep asking for forgiveness. Even though the other person may not be aware of it, you have to continue asking for forgiveness from within.
Pratikraman of the Relatives and the Dear Ones
Life is nothing but a drama. Is it appropriate to assume that people playing the role of your wife and children in a play are yours to take home with you? In your daily interactions, it is acceptable to say, 'This is my son, Shatayu,' when you are introducing him to someone, but you should say it as you would in a drama. The reason you have to do pratikraman is because you have believed all these relatives to be real. You should do pratikraman because all along you have acted as if they really are your children and your wife. If you did not have this belief, then pratikraman would not be necessary. With this belief comes attachment and abhorrence and with pratikraman you are liberated. Dada shows you how to do alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan to liberate you.
Questioner: Sometimes I feel bad that he has taken Gnan, and I have Gnan, so then why should such problems continue?
Dadashri: It is all unfolding of karma (udayakarma) in which you have to do pratikraman. You are bound to be pushed around by the unfolding karma. You will not be able to avoid the pressure of the unfolding karma. It is not his wish that he hurts you, and yet he will be pushed by the unfolding karma. One has no choice but to suffer one's karma!
Questioner: I feel like I want to do good for him, but I end up spoiling everything and then I end up being the one who gets blamed.
Dadashri: But what problem do you have with that? Whatever occurs is correct. The one who wants to do good should not be afraid. And the one who wants to do bad will not achieve anything, no matter how cautious he is. You should
