The Essence Of All Religion The Essence Of All Religions | Page 21

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The Essence of All Religion
he would be willing to listen. Otherwise your words would be
wasted because he would not bother to listen to you. Your
efforts will be in vain and he may harbor revenge against you.
People say that it is wrong to steal, but a thief believes
that stealing is his profession. If someone were to bring a thief
to me, I would put my arm on his shoulder and in privacy ask
him whether he enjoys his business of stealing. He would be at
ease with me and would not be afraid of me. He would be
honest with me. It is out of fear that people lie. Then I would
ask him if he knew what the potential consequences of his
actions would be.
I never look at him as a thief. If I had such an opinion,
then it would have an effect on him. Everyone believes that he
is doing his duty. Syaadvaad vani does not hurt anyone, it is
perfect. Every person has a different prakruti (inherent nature,
characteristic tendencies), and syaadvaad vani does not hurt
anyone’s prakruti.
Questioner : What is syaadvaad mannan?
Dadashri : Syaadvaad mannan means that no one should
be hurt through your thoughts. What I say applies to your actions
and your thoughts. Both your words and your thoughts should
be free of hurtful intentions. Thoughts reach the other person.
You can tell this by looking at the disgruntled expression on his
face even though you have not said anything to him.
Questioner : Do we have to do pratikraman whenever
we have a bad thought about someone?
Dadashri : Yes, the other person’s mind is affected. But
when you do pratikraman, his mind and attitude towards you
will improve. You must not think negative about anyone.
Everyone should take care of themselves. That is all. There is
nothing else to fret about.