Pratikraman: Freedom Through Apology & Repentance (Abr.) (In English) Pratikraman: Freedom Through Apology & Repentence | Page 19

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Pratikraman
any of the five mahavrats (the five supreme vows of: ahimsa-
non-violence, satya- truth, achoriya - not stealing, aparigraha -
non-greed, and bhramcharya (celibacy).
2. Every Religion Mentions Pratikraman
God has said that alochana, pratikraman, and
pratyakhyan, are the essence of relative religion. These have to
be done instantaneously; you should not keep anything pending.
If you hurt someone, keep a mental note of it and then do
alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhyan.
This instant, ‘shoot-on-sight’ pratikraman is only possible
when one is Self-realized, and is therefore able to see his own
faults. However, if a person who has not attained the Self were
to apply the principle of alochana, pratikraman, and pratyakhyan
in his daily life, it would still be beneficial for him, even though
he does not understand it. Self-Realization will eventually come
to him.
One is bound to attain Self-Realization if his alochana,
pratikraman, and pratyakhyan are done with sincerity.
Questioner: Pratikraman would be to repent. Is
pratyakhyan to resolve never to repeat the mistake?
Dadashri: Yes. Sincere repentance is called pratikraman.
Once pratikraman is done, the atikraman will not occur again.
To vow, “I will never do that again. I promise not to repeat the
mistake again,” is called pratyakhyan. When you do pratyakhyan
in this way, in your mind, one layer of karma will shed. Now
if the same atikraman should occur again, it is because of another
layer of karma, so you should not panic, just continue with your
pratikramans.
Questioner: What is alochana?
Dadashri: Alochana is to confess your misdeed as it is