36 Pratikraman 8 . Freedom From Human Bondage
Questioner : What must we do to be free from the relations of previous lives that are now in front of us ?
Dadashri : If you are forced to live with someone you do not like , then on the outside you should continue your worldly relationship with that person and from within you must do pratikraman in his name . The suffering for you in this life is the effect of your atikraman from your past life . What were the causes behind your suffering today ? In your previous life you did atikraman against that person and as a result , in this life you have to suffer the consequences . If you do pratikraman now , in the presence of whichever God you worship , you will erase your mistakes . Repeated pratikramans will wipe off the many errors that have been caused in these sticky relationships .
If a man dislikes his wife , he will see many faults in her and will harp on her negative points . This constant faultfinding leads to abhorrence . This abhorrence results in fear . He will experience fear in certain interactions with her and when he sees her , he feels a sense of suffocation and bondage . We all tend to be afraid of those or that which we dislike intensely . All this is the result of abhorrence . To break free from this feeling of contempt , one has to keep asking for forgiveness . Even though the other person may not be aware of it , you have to continue asking for forgiveness from within .
Life is nothing but a play . Is it appropriate to assume that those playing the role of your wife and children are yours to take home ? It is fine if when introducing your son you say , “ This is my son Shataayu .” But say it as you would in a drama . The reason you have to do pratikraman is because you have taken all these relatives to be real . You must do pratikraman because all along you have acted as if they are really your children and wife . If you did not have this belief then pratikraman would not