[ 6 ] The Thorns Vanish and the Blossoms Remain 127
a Gnani but he is a phony !’ Now the fact that you went there is karma effect ( prarabdha ) but the negative thought that arose , ‘ Oh no ! How did I end up coming to this worthless person ?’ is your negative purusharth . You will have to suffer the effect of this negative purusharth . It is natural to have that thought but what should you do right away ? Instead , you should immediately erase the negative thought with a positive one with , ‘ Oh no ! Why did I make such a mistake ?’ You should immediately erase the negative thought with a positive one .
Questioner : Should one ask for forgiveness ?
Dadashri : Yes , you should ask for forgiveness in the mind . You should do pratikraman .
Questioner : I am asking for forgiveness for any wrongdoing , committed knowingly or unknowingly , through my mind , speech and action .
Dadashri : Remember to do pratikraman in the name of Lord Mahavir or whichever God you believe in . Recall Dada and do pratikraman . When you do your pratikraman , your bhaav ( inner intent ) should be , ‘ Regardless of what the other person is like , why did I have to behave so negatively ?’ There is no accountability on your part in saying someone is good when he is good , but there is a liability in calling someone bad when he is good , and there is also liability in calling a bad person , bad ; tremendous liability . Because , in reality , he is never bad ; it is his prarabdha ( karma effect ) that makes him appear bad . What do we mean by prarabdha ? It is his circumstances that have made him bad , so how can we blame him ?
Did you understand that ? This is a very subtle and profound talk . You will not find this in the scriptures , nor will you hear it from any ascetic ( sadhu ).
If you understand , in short , what purusharth ( spiritual effort ; cause is ) and what prarabdha ( karma effect ) is , then you