Pratikraman: Asking for Forgiveness for Bad Karmas

In life, where clashes occur at every moment, where attacks of the kashays, i.e., inner enemies like anger, pride, deceit, and greed keep happening, and where either we are hurt by others or others are hurt through us, paap (demerit karma) continues to be bound at every step. No matter how much religious practice, chanting, penance, fasting, meditation, or yoga one does, the faults committed through mind, speech, and body do not stop, and inner peace remains nowhere to be found. In such a situation, is there any precise path to turn back from demerit karma? Is there any solution for progressing on the path of liberation while also living in happiness and peace within the worldly life? Poet Kalapi has said:

“Yes, repentance is a vast stream that has descended from heaven.
By immersing themselves in it, those bound by demerit karma become meritorious.”

No matter how wrong an act may be, if one repents afterward, that demerit karma gets washed away. Every religion has given importance to repentance, it is known by different names such as ‘confession’ in Christianity, ‘Astaghfirullah’ in Islam, ‘Teshuva’ in Judaism, and ‘pashchataap’ in Hinduism. The essence of the Jain scriptures is also Pratikraman (apology coupled with repentance) and Pratyakhyan (avowal to not repeat a mistake). Pratikraman is not a concept limited to any one religion; rather, it is the path of seeking forgiveness after a wrong action and, in a scientific manner, freeing oneself from the demerit karma bound through the kashays of anger, pride, deceit, and greed.

During the course of our lives, due to the pressure of circumstances, we often find ourselves trapped in such situations where we do not wish to make mistakes, yet are unable to free ourselves from them, and a constant state of confusion is experienced. To help break free from mistakes and to find the true way of living life, the Enlightened Ones have given the weapon of Pratikraman, through which one can progress while remaining in inner happiness and ease, and uproot, along with its deep roots, the vast tree of faults that has taken hold within.

Here, we will gain a detailed understanding of how forgiveness helps prevent the binding of demerit karma in day-to-day worldly interactions. At the same time, we will understand the true meaning of Pratikraman as given by Param Pujya Dadashri, its correct method, and its significance.

Pratikraman - The Master Key that Resolves all Conflicts

How can we practice pratikraman for the dead or someone who is residing far away from us? What can we do when we consume animals as food or sell them as a part of our business?

Spiritual Quotes

Knowledge of the Self is the path of liberation. Pratikramans after Self-realization puts you on the path to liberation.
It is alochana(confession of one's mistakes), pratikraman(asking for forgiveness), and pratyakhyan(firm resolve and determination never to repeat the mistake). These will fuel your vehicle en route to moksha. The way to moksha is through these, no other rituals are needed. This is what I myself have done for countless lives. For so many lives I have done alochana, Pratikraman.
It is natural for a person to make a mistake (commit a fault). What is the way to become free from that? Only the Gnani Purush [the enlightened one] can show it, (which is) ‘Pratikraman’.
You should ask Dada for strength in everything. If you fail to do pratikraman, you must ask for the strength to do proper pratikraman. Ask for all the strength. I have as much strength as you need.
With pratikraman, his/her animosity towards you will lessen. With each pratikraman, a layer of karma is shed. Karma comes in layers, as do onions. You will have to do as many pratikramans as the number of layers you have caused.
The mind is not as much of a problem as the speech is, because the mind functions secretly, whereas speech can carve a hole in a person's heart and hurt him severely. You must ask for forgiveness from whomever you have hurt with your speech. You must recall each and every person and do pratikraman in their name.
If you hide things from the Gnani Purush, it will hinder you. People do pratikraman in order to bring things out into the open. That man brought so much baggage with him and he came here to confess everything. What happens when you try to hide things? Your faults will remain hidden and they will double.
This is Akram Vignan. 'Vignan' means that it is a Science and therefore it gives immediate results. Where there is no need to do anything, that is called a science, and wherever one has to do something, that is all relative religion.
What happens by doing ‘pratikraman’? The interferences that we have done (in the past), and its ‘reaction’ which will come (now), on that (reactions), we will not feel like interfering again.
‘Atikraman’ [aggression through thoughts, speech or action] happens naturally. To do 'pratikraman' is our own spiritual effort (purusharth).
When you see the members of your household as faultless (nirdosh) and see only your own faults, then true pratikraman will be done.
If ‘pratikraman’ happens immediately [as the mistake happen], then it will bring one in the state of God (Bhagwan-pad).
On what basis does the world continue to exist? It is due to the fault of ‘apratikraman' (the mistake for which pratikraman was not done).
Things come into your memory even when you don’t want them to; that is because ‘pratikraman dosh’ is pending (mistake for which pratikraman was not done yet).
That which comes to memory comes for the purpose of making one do pratikraman (confession, apology, and resolve not to repeat a mistake).
Do pratikraman (repentance coupled with apology) for what comes to memory. Do pratyakhyan (avowal to not repeat a mistake) for a desire that arises.
A man who repents after doing any action, he will certainly become pure one day, that is definite.
You (must) do plenty of ‘pratikraman’. Do the ‘pratikraman’ for an hour every day of everyone who is living around you, whomever you have harassed.
The one whose ‘alochana (confession of mistakes), pratikraman (asking for forgiveness) and pratyakhyan (avowal to never repeat the mistake)’ are true (done correctly), he is bound to attain the knowledge of the Self (attain self realization).
When you do pratikraman after conflict, the conflict is erased. When you give rise to new conflicts, the energies that had arisen will disappear again.
People in the world ask for forgiveness, but [true] ‘pratikraman’ does not happen by doing that. That is like when people casually say ‘sorry’ or ‘thank you’. There is no significance in that; the significance is of ‘alochana-pratikraman-pratyakhyan’ (acknowledgement of the mistake, repentance and asking for forgiveness for the mistake, remorse and avowal not to repeat the mistake, respectively).
It is natural for a person to make a mistake (commit a fault). What is the way to become free from that? Only the Gnani Purush [the enlightened one] can show it, (which is) ‘Pratikraman’.
As long as someone gets hurt in the slightest, on your account; its effect will fall upon you. So beware.
If you do pratikraman of a tiger, then even the tiger will do as you ask it to. There is no difference between a tiger and a human being. The difference is in your vibrations! That is why he gets affected.
The world is existing on which basis? It is the mistake of atikraman (aggression through thoughts, speech or action). There is no problem with kraman (neutral or natural action, actions that do not have any good or bad implications), but if atikraman occurs, then you have to do ‘pratikraman’ for it.
Even if you have an atrocious fault, but if you zealously repent for it, if you repent for it heartily, then that fault has no choice but to leave. However, people are not heartily repenting for it, are they? They just apologize superficially by saying, ‘It was my fault!’
How does the energy known as sooj (insight; intuition) blossom? Sooj blossoms in accordance with however many of your own mistakes you break! Moreover, from the moment you accept your mistakes and ask for forgiveness for them, that energy increases greatly.

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