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[6] The Thorns Vanish and the Blossoms Remain
129
Questioner: After attaining Gnan, when one becomes antaratma (awakened pure Self; Shuddhatma), do faults then begin to decrease?
Dadashri: One will begin to 'see' the mistakes and the mistakes will decrease. His vision will turn towards his own faults. As long as one is an embodied self (jivatma), as long as one is a moodhatma (not awakened to the Self), one will know how to see other's faults. If you ask him about his own faults, he will tell you he has only two or three and that otherwise he has no faults, but the other person is full of faults!
Pratikraman for Those Who Are Not Selfrealized
Questioner: Is pratikraman only for those who have taken Gnan or is it also for those who have not taken Gnan?
Dadashri: It is like this; pratikraman is there even for those who have not taken Gnan; the same word is applicable for all. It is simply a term, but how can those who have not taken Gnan have awareness? How can they do pratikraman without the awareness of the Self?
In which time cycle did such awareness exist? After Lord Rushabhdev, the disciples of all the twenty-two Tirthankars used to be very aware. They constantly did 'shoot-on-sight' pratikraman.
Such awareness only arises when 'we' give Gnan, otherwise, the awareness can never be there. Otherwise, people are asleep (spiritually) with open eyes; that is what the scripture says.
Questioner: Can people who are not Self-realized only see certain kinds of faults?
Dadashri: That is all; only that much. You simply have to tell them to learn to ask for forgiveness for their mistakes.
130
Pratikraman
Whatever faults they are able to see, they should ask for forgiveness. They should never protect their mistake, or say there is nothing wrong with it, otherwise the mistake doubles. If you do something wrong, ask for forgiveness. (120)
Questioner: How should those who are not Self-realized do pratikraman when they see their own faults?
Dadashri: There are some people who, despite not having this knowledge, are very aware of their faults. They understand what pratikraman is and they do it. Others are not included in this, but we still need to explain to them the meaning of pratikraman and tell them to repent for their mistakes.
Is Pratikraman Necessary After Self-realization?
Questioner: Dada, I still do not understand why we have to do pratikraman after attaining the state of the Self? There is no need, is there?
Dadashri: No, there is also no problem if you do.
Questioner: I do not have a problem with doing it, but how should I do it? I am either 'Chandulal' or I am pure Soul - Shuddhatma.
Dadashri: 'You - the Self' are not to do the pratikraman. The Self does not have to do pratikraman. 'You,' as a neighbor of 'Chandubhai,' have to tell him, 'Chandubhai, why are you doing such atikraman?"
Questioner: But, Dada, why should I go anywhere near the 'neighbor'?
Dadashri: The neighbor is the result of your own past mistakes (from your past life). It is your unsettled crime (liability, nature's court).
I will tell you something; listen to what I tell you. Say a young man goes to downtown Ahmadabad and goes on a
