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[16] Revenge of Enmity Is Unbearable
Questioner: So one has to become free from his own bondage, with pratikraman?
Dadashri: Yes, become free from all bondage.
Compassion for the Weak One under Influence of Kashays
311
If someone were to insult 'us' or do wrong by 'us,' 'we' would still protect him. A man started to argue with me and became confrontational. So I told everyone around me that they should not have a single negative thought about him and if they did, they should do his pratikraman. He is a good man but he was under the control of kashays when it occurred. If he were under the realm of the Self, he would never speak the way he did. A person who succumbs to his internal enemies should be forgiven for whatever kind of mistake done, for he does not have any awareness-support of the Self. When someone exhibits kashay, at that time you should loosen the 'rope' of the ego, remain calm, or else he will ruin everything.
To be controlled by inner enemies (kashays) is to be swayed by the effects of the unfolding karma (udayakarma). He does according to the unfolding karma.
Equanimity of Lord Parshvanath
Questioner: It came out in a discussion that someone had bound enmity against Lord Parshvanath (the twenty-third Tirthankar) and the Lord had no knowledge of this. And due to this enmity, the Lord encountered that person for ten lifetimes, and in each of those lives that person harmed the Lord in some way or the other. Is that possible? One is not even aware of it, and the other person continues to bind enmity which could last up to ten lifetimes.
Dadashri: It depends on how much damage you have caused. So do not cause any damage to anyone.
312
Pratikraman
Questioner: But Lord Parshvanath was not even aware of it, was He?
Dadashri: How can everyone know about that? How can one know what the reason behind the current suffering is? It is certain that it is the fruit of one's own doing. Lord Parshvanath would at least know that people were giving Him back that which was his own. If the restlessness and anger get multiplied in this effect and unfolding, it will take longer to resolve and settle.
Lord Parshvanath did not react and, therefore, it was all over in ten lifetimes.
Questioner: Even then, it lasted for ten lifetimes; that is not a short time!
Dadashri: Do you know from how many lifetimes these ten lifetimes was the basis? Do you know that?
Questioner: I do not know anything about that. Dadashri: It is the equivalent to one strand of hair! Ten lifetimes are not even one strand of hair!
Questioner: Oh! As compared to infinite lifetimes, it is nothing. That is why he maintained equanimity in the ten lifetimes.
Dadashri: That is why it came to an end. For the first two or three lives, it was not exact equanimity. There was some irritation and then it improved. It is not possible to suddenly maintain complete equanimity in this world. Even gnanis cannot do that. But this is the science of Akram, and so it is possible.
