________________
[15] On The Path of Cause Ahimsa
295
296
Pratikraman
by your conviction that you would rather be doing something other than this. Before, when you were not aware of all this, you would not have been so reluctant to throw away the poor plants. Do you understand all that? If you follow My advice, the responsibility becomes Mine. I am taking on the responsibility for you. You can cast the plant aside but, at the same time, you should feel a deep repentance.
Questioner: I understand that now. These businessmen create greater demerit karma as compared to the farmer. And greater demerit karma than the businessmen cause, is caused by people sitting at home doing nothing. Demerit karma is caused through the mind and not the body.
Dadashri: You have to understand the facts. Others do not need to. You have to understand everything that is applicable to you. Whatever others understand is fine by their standards.
Questioner: What should I do about the pesticides used when spraying the crop? There is himsa) violence in it, right?
Dadashri: When you have no choice, do whatever you have to but with a promise of doing prarikraman.
You do not know how to proceed with this worldly life. "We' teach you all that, so that you do not bind new demerit karma (paap).
You are bound to bind demerit karma when you are farming but at the same time, 'we give you the 'medicine of what you should say so that the demerit karma decreases. 'We give you the medicine to wash off the demerit karma. Does one not need the medicine? When you go to the farm and plough the fields, many insects die and you bind demerit karma. When you cut down sugarcane, is that not a demerit karma? Are they not living, embodied souls? But 'we' explain to you what you should do about that, so that you incur less karmic liability and enjoy your worldly comforts peacefully.
All farmers are liable for the death of so many living organisms in the fields. They should earnestly pray to God and ask to be forgiven for their mistakes, daily. I tell every farmer to take about five to ten minutes to repent in front of the Lord, for this violence. They should do pratikraman because the work they are engaged in involves so much violence. I show them how to do pratikraman.
Pratikraman for Himsa Questioner: While I was driving yesterday, I felt really bad when a pigeon came under my car.
(280) Dadashri: It was 'Chandubhai' who felt bad. So tell 'Chandubhail to repent and do pratikraman.
Questioner: I did all that. Dadashri: You did that, so that is good.
Questioner: But I do not know when and where it came from.
Dadashri: It is like this. That pigeon was going to die because of some mistake from its past life. It was looking for someone to kill it. It was looking for someone like 'Chandubhai who had an inner intent (bhaav) of killing.
And to the one who has decided that he does not want to kill any living being, violence (himsa) will not touch him. 'I have no intent to kill, but what can I do if it comes underneath my car?" If someone says this, then he will encounter this. You just encountered a little of whatever intent you had. One being a Jain is rushing around and then if some bird gets in the way, he will say, 'What can I do?!
The one who wants to save lives will come across circumstances that will allow him to do so. Whatever your bhaav (inner intent), such will be your karmic account (hisaab).
You have to have a strong policy, 'I do not want to hurt
