Reading sample

As Expounded by Dada Bhagwan

Pratikraman

The Master key That Resolves All Conflicts

Abridged Version

Originally Compiled in Gujarati by: : Dr. Niruben Amin

Trimantra

The Three Mantras That Destroy All Obstacles in Life

Namo Vitaraagaya

I bow to the Ones who are absolutely free from all attachment and abhorrence

Namo Arihantanam

I bow to the living Ones who have annihilated all internal enemies of anger, pride, deceit and greed

Namo Siddhanam

I bow to the Ones who have attained the state of total and final liberation

Namo Aayariyanam

I bow to the Self-realized masters who impart the Knowledge of the Self to others

Namo Uvazzayanam

I bow to the Ones who have received the Knowledge of the Self and are helping others attain the same

Namo Loye Savva Sahunam

I bow to the Ones, wherever they may be, who have received the Knowledge of the Self

Eso Pancha Namukkaro

These five salutations

Savva Pavappanasano

Destroy all demerit karma

Mangalanam Cha Savvesim

Of all that is auspicious

Padhamam Havai Mangalam

This is the highest

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

I bow to the Ones who have attained the absolute Self in human form

Om Namah Shivaya

I bow to all human beings who have become instruments for the salvation of the world

Jai Sat Chit Anand

Awareness of the Eternal is Bliss

Books of Akram Vignan of Dada Bhagwan

1. Adjust Everywhere

2. Anger

3. Aptavani - 1

4. Aptavani - 2

5. Aptavani - 4

6. Aptavani - 5

7. Aptavani - 6

8. Aptavani - 8

9. Aptavani - 9

10. Autobiography of Gnani Purush A.M.Patel

11. Avoid Clashes

12. Brahmacharya : Celibacy Attained With Understanding

13. Death : Before, During and After...

14. Flawless Vision

15. Generation Gap

16. Harmony In Marriage

17. Life Without Conflict

18. Money

19. Noble Use of Money

20. Non-Violence

21. Pratikraman : The Master Key That Resolves All Conflicts ( Abridged & Big Volume)

22. Pure Love

23. Right Understanding to Help Others

24. Science of Karma

25. Science of Speech

26. The Current Living Tirthankara Shree Simandhar Swami

27. Simple and Effective Science for Self-Realization

28. The Essence of All Religion

29. The Fault Is of the Sufferer

30. The Guru and the Disciple

31. The Hidden Meaning of Truth and Untruth

32. The Practice of Humanity

33. Trimantra

34. Whatever Has Happened Is Justice

35. Who Am I ?

36. Worries

‘Dadavani’ Magazine is published every month in English

Who Is Dada Bhagwan?

In June 1958, around 6 o’clock one evening, amidst the hustle and bustle of the Surat railway station while seated on a bench, ‘Dada Bhagwan’ manifested completely within the sacred bodily form of Ambalal Muljibhai Patel. Nature revealed a remarkable phenomenon of spirituality! In the span of an hour, the vision of the universe was unveiled to him! Complete clarity for all spiritual questions such as, ‘Who are we? Who is God? Who runs the world? What is karma? What is liberation?’ etc. was attained.

What He attained that evening, He imparted to others through his original Scientific experiment (Gnan Vidhi) in just two hours! This has been referred to as the Akram path. Kram means to climb up sequentially, step-by-step while Akram means step-less, a shortcut, the elevator path!

He, himself, would explain to others who Dada Bhagwan is by saying, “The one visible before you is not Dada Bhagwan. I am the Gnani Purush and the One who has manifested within is Dada Bhagwan who is the Lord of the fourteen worlds. He is also within you, and within everyone else too. He resides unmanifest within you, whereas here [within A. M. Patel], He has manifested completely! I, myself, am not God (Bhagwan); I also bow down to the Dada Bhagwan who has manifest within me.”

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The Current Link to Attain Self-Realization

After attaining the Knowledge of the Self in 1958, absolutely revered Dada Bhagwan (Dadashri) traveled nationally and internationally to impart spiritual discourse and Self-realization to spiritual seekers.

During his lifetime itself, Dadashri had given the spiritual power to Pujya Dr. Niruben Amin (Niruma) to bestow Self-realization to others. In the same way, after Dadashri left his mortal body, Pujya Niruma conducted spiritual discourses (satsang) and imparted Self-realization to spiritual seekers, as an instrumental doer. Dadashri had also given Pujya Deepakbhai Desai the spiritual power to conduct satsang. At present, with the blessings of Pujya Niruma, Pujya Deepakbhai travels nationally and internationally to impart Self-realization as an instrumental doer.

After Self-realization, thousands of spiritual seekers prevail in a state free from bondage and dwell in the experience of the Self, whilst carrying out all their worldly responsibilities.

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Note About This Translation

The Gnani Purush, Ambalal M. Patel, also commonly known as ‘Dadashri’ or ‘Dada’, gave spiritual discourses that were in the form of answers to questions asked by spiritual aspirants. These discourses were recorded and compiled into books by Pujya Dr. Niruben Amin in the Gujarati language.

Dadashri had said that it would be impossible to translate His satsangs and the Knowledge about the Science of Self-realization word for word into other languages, because some of the meaning would be lost in the process. Therefore, in order to understand precisely the Akram Science of Self-realization, He stressed the importance of learning Gujarati.

However, Dadashri did grant His blessings to translate His words into other languages so that spiritual seekers could benefit to a certain degree and later progress through their own efforts. This book is not a literal translation, but great care has been taken to preserve the essence of His original message.

Spiritual discourses have been and continue to be translated from Gujarati. For certain Gujarati words, several translated words or even sentences are needed to convey the meaning, hence many Gujarati words have been retained within the translated text for better understanding. Where the Gujarati word is used for the first time, it is italicized, followed by a translation explaining its meaning in parenthesis. Subsequently, only the Gujarati word is used in the text that follows. This serves a two-fold benefit; firstly, ease of translation and reading, and secondly, make the reader more familiar with the Gujarati words, which is critical for a deeper understanding of this spiritual Science. The content in square brackets provides further clarity regarding the matter, which is not present in the original Gujarati content.

This is a humble attempt to present to the world, the essence of His Knowledge. While reading this translation, if there is any contradiction or discrepancy, then it is the mistake of the translators and the understanding of the matter should be clarified with the living Gnani to avoid misinterpretation.

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Special Note to the Reader

The Self is the Soul (Atma) within all living beings.

The term pure Soul is used by the Gnani Purush for the awakened Self, after the Gnan Vidhi. The word Self, with an uppercase ‘S’, refers to the awakened Self which is separate from the worldly-interacting self, which is written with a lowercase ‘s’.

Wherever Dadashri uses the term ‘we’, ‘us’, or ‘our’, He is referring to Himself, the Gnani Purush.

Similarly, the use of You or Your in the middle of a sentence, with an uppercase first letter, or ‘You’, ‘Your’ in single quotes at the beginning of the sentence, refers to the state of the awakened Self or Pragnya. This is an important distinction for the correct understanding of the difference between the awakened Self and the worldly-interacting self.

Wherever the name ‘Chandubhai’ is used, the reader should substitute his or her name and read the matter accordingly.

The masculine third person pronoun ‘he’ and likewise the object pronoun ‘him’ have been used for the most part throughout the translation. Needless to say, ‘he’ includes ‘she’ and ‘him’ includes ‘her’.

For reference, a glossary of all the Gujarati words is either provided at the back of the book or available on our website at: http://www.dadabhagwan.org/books-media/glossary/

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Dedication

Atikramanoni ananti vanazaar;

With the infinite mass of atikraman;

Karmoni pal pal bandhati haarmaal!

The chains of karma are bound each and every moment!

Moksha to kya, dharmey niraadhar;

Forget liberation, with no scope of even religion;

Kon chadhave margasya pagathaar?

Who would take one ahead on the stages of liberation?

Akram Vignani Dada taaranhaar;

The Akram Scientist Dada, the liberator;

Pratikramanu deedhu hathiyaar!

Gave the weapon of pratikraman!

Moksha margno kharo saathidaar;

A true friend on the path of liberation;

Taaj bani shobhaavyo Dada darbaar!

As a crown, it adorns Dada’s court!

Pratikraman sankshiptma kriyakaar;

The Pratikraman abridged book is effective;

Todave bandhana mool ahamkaar!

It breaks the bondage caused by the ego, which is at the root!

Pratikraman vignan atre saakaar;

The Science of pratikraman expressed here in visible form;

Samarpan jagne, machaav jay jaykaar!

Offered to the world, may it dazzle the world!

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Editorial

Should there not be some tried-and-true remedy for those who are sincerely trying to staunchly curtail kashay (anger-pride-deceit-greed) that vex each and every moment, in order to move forward along the path of liberation? Through what understanding can the grossest to the subtlest conflict be averted? How do we prevent ourselves from being hurt or hurting others? What is the solution to restrain the bombardment of kashay, or how do we stop them from recurring? So many religious rituals have been carried out, chanting and penance, fasting, meditation, and other rituals, nevertheless, why don’t the faults that end up happening through the mind-speech-body come to a halt? Why is inner peace not experienced? What should be done when on occasion our own faults are seen? How can they be removed? Some trustworthy means are certainly necessary to progress on the path of liberation, as well as to live worldly life with peace and happiness, with few kashay, and with the feeling of love, isn’t it? What have the Vitaraag Lords expounded to the world about the essence of religion? What is true dharmadhyan (virtuous internal state of being)? If one wishes to be absolved from demerit karma (paap), then is there any assured path for that? If there is, then why is it not evident?

One can attain an abundance of knowledge from the religious scriptures; nevertheless, why does the knowledge not prevail in daily life? Ascetics, saints, spiritual teachers, preachers give many sermons, but where do they fall short in attaining the desired results? How many rituals are being carried out in every religion, in every monastic community of monks and nuns? There are so many vows, chanting, penance, restraints being undertaken, yet why do they not achieve any results? Why do the kashay not decrease? Why don’t the faults get washed off? Doesn’t the liability for all this fall upon the religious heads? This statement is not made with any feelings of abhorrence, but with feelings of compassion. Nevertheless, is there any solution to wash the faults off? What have the Gnanis (the Ones who have realized the Self and are able to do the same for others) and the Tirthankars (absolutely enlightened Lords who can liberate others) pointed out for progress from the state of ignorance to the state of Knowledge, and all the way to the attainment of absolute Knowledge (keval Gnan)? How can we be liberated from the bondage with people with whom we have karmic ties, and the bondage of attachment and abhorrence, and attain the state of absolute detachment (vitaraagata)?

It is said that the path of liberation is for the brave and not for cowards, but where must this valor be used to expedite liberation? What is considered cowardice? Is it possible for those with a lot of demerit karma to acquire tremendous merit karma? In what way?

The entire life smolders in the explosive fire; how can it be extinguished? Day and night, under the domination of the wife, tribulations caused by the children, and the havoc of earning money, how can all of this internal burning be relieved and the ocean of worldly life be crossed?

How can spiritual preceptors turn back from the incessant kashay that exist between a guru and a disciple, which lead to a lifetime in hell? For those who commit faults of accumulating money that is not rightfully theirs or faults of illicit sex through the mind, the speech, the conduct, or through a tainted vision, where else would they end up except in a sub-human life-form or a life-form in hell? And how can one become free from that? If one wishes to take heed of that, then how can one take heed and become free from it? What could be the answers to such countless and constantly arising perplexing questions?

Over the course of one’s life, due to the pressure of circumstances, every human being gets caught up in such a situation in which one does not wish to make mistakes in worldly interaction, yet one cannot become free from mistakes. In such circumstances, heartfelt, genuine people constantly experience confusion. For such people, to be rid of the mistakes and to discover the true purpose of living life, through which they can remain in internal happiness and peace, and simultaneously continue to progress, that which one has never received before, the Tirthankars and Gnanis have bestowed the one and only, on the mark, weapon of spiritual Science in the form of alochana-pratikraman-pratyakhyan (three-step process of reversal from hurting another living being through thought, speech, or action). Through such a weapon, the unmanageable, vast tree in the form of mistakes has been uprooted completely, and infinite living beings have become wedded to the invaluable liberation. For the purpose of liberation, that which the manifest Gnani Purush Dada Bhagwan has Seen while remaining in absolute Knowledge (keval Gnan), has been expounded through speech, with exactness and as it is, in [the book] the Science of Pratikraman. All of that has been compiled in the present volume, which will prove to be useful for the purpose of the ultimate liberation of the astute reader.

The speech of the Gnani Purush comes forth based on the physical matter, location, time, inner intent, as well as various other active evidences (nimit). Within the compilation of that speech, considering any shortcomings in the form of seeming errors pardonable, the humble request is to always take in the inner meaning of the speech of the Gnani Purush!

The speech of the Gnani Purush comes forth incidentally for the purpose of closure and inner satisfaction of the spiritual seeker or mahatma (a person who has received Self-realization through Gnan Vidhi) who appears in front of Him. And when that speech is compiled in the form of a volume, it may appear contradictory at times. For example, for the purpose of closure and inner satisfaction of one individual, the Gnani may say, “Pratikraman (to confess, apologize and resolve not to repeat a mistake) is awareness and atikraman (to hurt any other living being through the mind, speech, or body) is discharge.” That is a subjective answer. Whereas for the mahatma with heightened awakened awareness, while providing minute detail, the Gnani may give such clarity as, “Atikraman is discharge, and pratikraman is also discharge. Discharge has to be destroyed with discharge.” Both of these explanations are certainly exact depending on the individual concerned, but they appear to be contradictory from the relative viewpoint. Actually, it is because of the difference in the level of understanding of each individual concerned that there appears to be a contradiction between the two answers. Nevertheless, with regard to the incontrovertible principle (siddhant), there is no contradiction between them at all. Here, the astute reader is beseeched to catch the import of the subtleties of the speech of Knowledge for the purpose of understanding the point.

Dr. Niruben Amin

Pratikraman

1. The True Nature of Pratikraman

Questioner: What is the most important thing a human being should do in this life?

Dadashri: One should speak in accordance with the thoughts in one’s mind, one should act in accordance to that. For whatever you want to say, if there are negative thoughts in your mind, then you should do pratikraman (confess, apologize, and resolve to not repeat a mistake) for that, and for whom should you do pratikraman? Who will you keep as your witness for the pratikraman? You should do pratikraman with Dada Bhagwan as your witness. The person that you see in front of you is not Dada Bhagwan. This is actually a Patel of [a town called] Bhadran, this is A.M. Patel. Dada Bhagwan, the Lord of the fourteen worlds, has manifested within. Therefore, do pratikraman in His name, as follows: ‘Oh Dada Bhagwan, negative thoughts have arisen in my mind, for which I ask for forgiveness. Please forgive me.’ I, too, do pratikraman recalling His name.

(Pg.2)

Carrying out good deeds is considered dharma, and carrying out bad deeds is considered adharma. And to go beyond dharma and adharma is considered Atma dharma (religion of the Self). When you carry out good karma, credit is created, and you will have to come back to enjoy that credit [in the next life]. When you carry out bad karma, debit is created, and you will have to come back to suffer that debit. And where there is no credit and debit in the ledger, the Self is attained.

Questioner: As I have entered this worldly life (sansaar), karma has to be carried out, doesn’t it? What should I do when bad karma ends up being done knowingly or unknowingly?

Dadashri: If it ends up being done, then there would certainly be a solution for it. Always, when bad deeds happen, repentance (pastavo) immediately follows, and you should repent wholeheartedly and with sincerity. Despite repenting, if the mistake is repeated, then do not worry about it. You should repent once again. You are not aware of the science behind this; that is why you may feel that despite repenting, it is not coming to a stop. Why it is not coming to a stop is a science. Therefore, you should simply carry on repenting. For the one who repents wholeheartedly, all his karma are washed away. If someone feels hurt by you, then you should definitely repent over that.

Questioner: Do we have to atone for our routine activities [which lead to hurting other living beings]?

Dadashri: Of course! As long as the awareness of ‘I am the Self’ does not set in, if atonement (prayashchit) does not happen, then more karma gets bound. By atoning, the karmic tubers become lighter. Otherwise, the result of that demerit karma is terrible. One may even forfeit human life [for the next life], and if one ends up as a human [in

(Pg.3)

the next life], then he would face all kinds of difficulties. [Difficulties in obtaining] Food and drink; he would certainly never get any respect. [There would be] Constant insult. That is why this atonement and other rituals need to be carried out. This is referred to as indirect worship (paroksh bhakti). As long as one does not attain Self-realization, it is necessary to engage in indirect worship.

Now, in whose presence should one repent? Who should be the witness for it? Whomever you have faith in. Whether you believe in Lord Krishna or in Dada Bhagwan, whomever you have faith in, do it with Him as a witness. As it is, there is nothing in this world that does not have a solution. The solution is born first, thereafter the ailment arises.

Why has the world come into existence? It is due to atikraman (to hurt any living being through the mind, speech, or body). There is no problem with kraman (neutral worldly interactions or activity of the mind, speech, or body that does not hurt anyone). Say you order something at a restaurant and whilst eating you end up breaking two saucers, so you pay for the damage and then leave; as you have not done any atikraman there, pratikraman does not need to be done for that. But when the saucers break, if you say, “The waiter has broken the saucers,” then it carries on. You have done atikraman, for which pratikraman needs to be done. And atikraman does not refrain from happening, so do pratikraman. Everything else is indeed kraman. Natural and spontaneous conversation is kraman; there is no problem with that. However, atikraman does not refrain from happening. Therefore, do pratikraman for that.

Questioner: How would I myself know that I have done atikraman?

Dadashri: You yourself would know and so would

(Pg.4)

the other person. You would know that there is an effect on the person’s face, and you too would be affected. Both of you would be affected. Therefore, pratikraman must be done for that.

As far as atikraman is concerned, anger, pride, deceit, and greed are all considered atikraman. When pratikraman is donefor that, then anger, pride, deceit, and greed depart. If atikraman happens and you do pratikraman, then anger, pride, deceit, and greed depart.

Worldly life has arisen due to atikraman and it is destroyed through pratikraman.

Questioner: Then what is pratikraman?

Dadashri: Pratikramanmeanswhen the other person is insulting you, you should understand, ‘Who is the one at fault for this insult?’ You should first decide whether the person giving [the insult] is the one at fault or the person suffering is the one at fault. The person giving the insult is not at fault at all; he is not at fault in the slightest. He happens to be a nimit (instrumental in the process)and it is only due to the unfolding of your own karma that you come across this nimit. Therefore, this is indeed your own fault. Now the reason for doing pratikraman is, if you have bad intents for the other person, then pratikraman should be done. If thoughts such as, ‘He is worthless, he is cunning,’ have arisen in the mind, then pratikraman should be done. And if such thoughts have not arisen, and if you consider it as an act of favor, then there is no need to do pratikraman. Besides, if anyone hurls an abuse at you, it is due to your very own karmicaccount; that person is simply a nimit.When your pocket gets picked, the pickpocket is a nimit and the karmicaccount is indeed your own. Yet, people ‘bite’ [blame] only the nimit and this is the very reason for all the quarrels.

(Pg.5)

To go in the wrong direction is atikraman and to come back is pratikraman.

Where there is a dispute, there is no pratikraman, and where there is pratikraman, there is no dispute.

You have no right to hit your child. You only have the right to explain things to him. Yet, if you spank your child and do not do pratikraman for it, then all the karma

Impressum

Texte: Dada Bhagwan Aradhana Trust
Bildmaterialien: Dada Bhagwan Aradhana Trust
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 07.07.2017

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