Pratikramana Full Version

Author(s): Dada Bhagwan
Publisher: Mahavideh Foundation

Page 78

[4] How Amazing is the Awareness of the Gnani Purush!
93
Pratikraman
all external penance. Only internal penance (adeetha tapa - invisible penance), can lead to discharge of karma. That is the kind of penance these mahatmas 'do.' Any penance which is visible to others, known to others, will result in merit karma (punya). Penance that is not visible externally will lead to liberation.
So people will think that we (in the path of Akram) do not follow any rules (niyam) or take any vows (vrat). Vows and rules are not for the path to moksha in Akram Vignan. They are necessary for those who want to wander around in the worldly life. Those who want to go to moksha should quickly get on the train of alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan. You have to do that twenty-four hours a day and nothing else.
Ask for Forgiveness for All the Kashays
What should these sadhvijis (Jain nuns) do? They know that kashays (anger, pride, deceit and greed) occur throughout the day, so what should they do? Every evening, they should recall the day's events during which they experienced even the slightest kashay with anyone. For each and every incident where such a kashay arose, they should do pratikraman and pratyakhyan for forty-eight minutes. If they do this, then they are on the path of liberation.
But these poor people do no such thing, so what can be done? If they were to understand the path to moksha, they would be on it, but first they need to understand it thus. (86)
Questioner: Until they can confess and repent on a oneon-one basis, they will still harbor a grudge from within. So they need to ask for forgiveness in person, don't they?
Dadashri: There is no need to ask for anyone's forgiveness directly. The Lord has forbidden this. You can only ask someone for forgiveness, directly, if that person is well meaning and noble. However, if you do that with a weak (kashay-laden)
person, he or she will only throw it back in your face. The weak person will become weaker. The entire world is weak and unless the person whose forgiveness you seek is good-natured, you should not attempt to apologize to that person personally. A weak person will always retaliate by saying, 'See, I knew all along that you were wrong, but you did not understand. Now you realize that you were wrong.' Hey! You do not realize that you are the one at fault and you are the wretched one in need of improvement. She has improved and is improving. He would not know this. The poor man has no awareness, does he? It is a different matter if one has even little awareness. But he has no awareness, not even a little.
No Moksha through Rituals The path to moksha is alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan. That itself is the path of moksha. First you should admit your mistakes. Then you should repent because it was the wrong thing to do, and then you should make a firm decision that you will not do it again. That is what our path to moksha
The path to liberation does not have any rituals or anything like that. Rituals are only present in the worldly life. It is for those who want material and physical comforts. For them, rituals are appropriate; however, they are not needed for liberation. What is the path of liberation? It is of alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan. Continue doing this. This is our path to moksha in which no rituals are necessary.
Did you understand rituals (kriyakand)? What is that for? It is for material comforts; therefore, the Lord (Lord within) had said that whoever wants to enjoy material comforts can practice penance - and through this, you will attain relative worldly happiness, you will attain the comforts of the celestial world.
You will attain worldly happiness, but if you do not want this temporary worldly happiness then we have this path of moksha