Pratikraman Aur Swasthya - Book Summary

Here is a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Pratikraman aur Swasthya" by Chanchalmal Choradiya:

The book "Pratikraman aur Swasthya" (Pratikraman and Health) by Chanchalmal Choradiya explores the profound connection between the Jain practice of Pratikraman and overall physical and mental well-being. The article emphasizes that Pratikraman, a process of self-reflection and atonement for one's faults, intrinsically leads to mental and physical health, while simultaneously, a state of mental balance and health is crucial for performing Pratikraman with genuine devotion.

What is Pratikraman?

Pratikraman is defined as a systematic process of inspecting, examining, and reviewing one's own faults. The text acknowledges that making mistakes is human nature, but accepting and rectifying them is humanity. Pratikraman is the effort to recognize, understand, and abandon mistakes. By acknowledging errors, the likelihood of repeating them decreases, whereas denial leads to internal fear, stress, and unhappiness. The article links specific emotions to their detrimental effects on bodily organs: anger and irritability affect the liver and gallbladder, fear impacts the kidneys and bladder, stress and worry affect the spleen, pancreas, and stomach, impatience and impulsivity harm the heart and small intestine, and sadness weakens the lungs and large intestine.

Who is Healthy and What is Health?

Health is described as being "self-situated," meaning having control over oneself. True health is a life free from disease, characterized by the harmony of body, mind, and spirit. When the body, mind, and soul function in unison, all bodily systems operate freely without obstruction, and external support is not required, then an individual is considered healthy. The body, mind, and speech are the mediums through which the soul expresses itself. The soul is the foundation of life; without it, the body, mind, and intellect have no existence, nor do health issues. The text asserts that afflictions of the soul are the primary causes of disease. When the soul is purified, the body, mind, speech, and intellect naturally become healthy.

The author suggests that much of human suffering stems from ignorance. For the knowledgeable, solutions exist within oneself, nature, the environment, the plant kingdom, and through the proper use of food, water, air, and sunlight, and by living a balanced lifestyle with mind, speech, and body. The key to overcoming suffering lies in dispelling ignorance, and Pratikraman is presented as a tool to achieve this.

The Significance of the Six Essential Jain Practices (Six Avashyakas) for Health:

The article details how each of the six essential Jain practices contributes to good health:

Samayik (Equanimity): Through meditation, this practice involves a subtle contemplation of 99 transgressions (aticharas), leading to a review of one's faults and diagnosis of the causes of disease.
Chaturvinshtistav (Praise of Twenty-four Tirthankaras): Praising the Tirthankaras, who are free from all diseases, provides guidance on how to become healthy. The aim is to purify the mind like the moon, make the heart radiant like the sun, and cultivate depth in thoughts like the ocean.
Vandana (Salutation): Respectfully bowing to the representatives of Tirthankaras – the self-treating monks and nuns who adhere to the five great vows – offers guidance for remaining healthy and purifying the soul. They are considered true physicians who prescribe treatments for soul purification. Performing Vandana is said to reduce the likelihood of joint pain. The Khama-Samana posture, involving sitting on the toes in a prayer-like stance, balances the body and strengthens the nervous system.
Pratikraman (Atonement): This practice involves confessing and repenting for faults committed through mind, speech, or body, those encouraged in others, and those approved of in others. It involves repenting for transgressions against the 99 aticharas and 18 papas (sins), and making resolutions to avoid them in the future. It also includes reflecting on the virtues of the five supreme beings (Panch Parameshti) and cultivating feelings of friendship by seeking forgiveness from all beings for any misconduct, which helps alleviate stress, anxiety, and fear, thereby promoting mental health.
Kayotsarg (Abandonment of the Body): This practice serves as a balm for the "wounds" incurred by transgressions in vows, akin to treating bodily wounds. It purifies the soul and renders it free from impurities. From a material perspective, Kayotsarg enhances the body's resistance. It is a practice to overcome all forms of fatigue, leading to a sense of lightness and serving as a gateway to reaching the soul by becoming aware of one's conscious state.
Pratyakhyan (Renunciation/Abstinence): Through this final practice, individuals renounce desires that harm the soul as a form of penance to avoid future disease causes and strengthen their immunity. It involves resolving to be detached from sensory pleasures, preventing the wastage of life force. Pratyakhyan helps shed impulsivity, agitation, and madness, leading to a calmer mind.

The Health Benefits of Various Pratikraman Postures:

The postures adopted during Pratikraman also hold health significance. The salutations performed at the beginning of each essential practice reduce joint pain, maintain muscle flexibility, balance the flow of energy in the body, and boost immunity. Meditation and asanas (postures) calm the mind's impulses, conserve life force, and increase endurance, leading to tranquility of body, mind, and speech.

Sitting with the left knee raised: This posture is said to pacify ego, fostering positive thinking and appreciation for virtues.
Sitting with the right knee raised: This strengthens willpower and instills enthusiasm and alertness in adhering to resolutions.
Standing: This reduces carelessness and promotes alertness, while maintaining body balance.

Types of Pratikraman and Their Connection to Health:

Pratikraman should be performed for all actions that increase passions (kashayas) or lead to sinful activities, which bind the soul, make it impure, and contribute to illness. In spiritual terms, these are called asravas (influxes) or sins, and in health terms, they are the main causes of disease. These can be categorized into five types:

Pratikraman of Mithyatva (False Beliefs): This involves resolving to accept truth as truth and falsehood as falsehood. Holding onto false beliefs can lead to illness. The understanding that one is the cause of their own suffering, and that ignorance or incomplete knowledge is the root of suffering and disease, is crucial. Accepting one's faults increases tolerance and patience, eliminates the tendency to blame others during adversity, and fosters self-awareness. This leads to a preference for non-violent treatments before seeking medical intervention. The awakening of discernment between what should and should not be done helps abandon wrong tendencies of mind, speech, and body, thereby preventing illness or reducing distress if illness has already occurred. The resolute determination of individuals like Anathi Muni, Sanatkumar Chakravarti, and Gajasukumal Muni in facing severe ailments is cited as an example. Pratikraman of Mithyatva leads to the discrimination between the body and soul and establishes right faith.
Pratikraman of Avrat (Vowlessness): Vows regulate the body and senses, controlling freedom and fostering a disciplined life, which is the foundation of health, while unrestrained behavior is a primary cause of disease. Monks and householders can partially or fully adhere to vows. These are compared to the Yamas in Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga: non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, chastity, and non-possession. Pratikraman of Avrat involves reflecting on lapses in these vows and resolving not to repeat them. The Guna Vratas (qualitative vows) involve limiting consumption and possessions, while Shiksha Vratas (training vows) involve practicing Samayik and Paushadh, limiting travel, and practicing charity. Adhering to these twelve vows promotes self-control, which is life itself and the basis of a healthy life. This also extends to self-control over the six paryaptis (satisfactions) and ten pranas (life-breaths).
Pratikraman of Pramad (Negligence/Carelessness): This involves reflecting on wasted time, underutilization of abilities, and a lack of self-awareness. This leads to self-awakening and the removal of self-afflictions. When the owner is aware, the "thief" of disease cannot enter.
Pratikraman of Kashaya (Passions): Contemplating anger, pride, deceit, and greed reveals their harmful effects, leading to stress, fear, impatience, dissatisfaction, and unnecessary desires that impact emotions and the endocrine system. This can result in negative thinking and mental illnesses. Pratikraman of Kashaya mitigates these passions, purifies the soul through karmic shedding, and prevents mental diseases.
Pratikraman of Ashubhayoga (Inauspicious Activities): Reflecting on the activities of mind, speech, and body reduces inauspicious tendencies and promotes auspicious ones. This fosters a tendency to engage in righteous actions, inspire others, and approve of those who strive for them. Inauspicious activities are the primary cause of diseases, so moving from inauspicious to auspicious actions improves health.

Limitations of Modern Health Science:

The article points out that modern health science often focuses on eliminating external disease-causing agents but overlooks the mental and spiritual causes of illness, such as anger, pride, deceit, greed, violence, attachment, aversion, falsehood, immorality, hatred, worry, fear, stress, and lack of self-control. These "inner viruses" weaken the heart, mind, and body.

Conclusion:

In summary, Pratikraman leads to reduced passions, soul purification, clarity of emotions, and positive thinking. Increased self-awareness and the ability to see one's own faults foster vigilance in behavior. This activates all bodily energy centers and balances the endocrine system, allowing the body, mind, and soul to function in complete harmony. Key factors causing mental illness like anger, fear, stress, and impatience are eliminated, while tolerance and immunity increase. Therefore, Pratikraman is considered an essential practice for householders and ascetics. The article concludes by stating that Pratikraman, performed with genuine devotion and following the correct methods, is the simplest, most natural, cost-effective, self-reliant, non-violent, scientifically sound, impactful, and faultless treatment for overall health.