Answer

You are asking a very sincere and important question.

In Jain Dharma, Pratikraman is not meant to be only reciting sutras. The sutras are a sacred support, but the real purpose is:

• to recognize our mistakes,
• to accept our dosh,
• to feel regret for wrong actions,
• to ask for forgiveness,
• and to make a sincere resolve not to repeat them.

So yes, if someone can help you reflect on your mistakes with honesty and humility, that can support the inner spirit of Pratikraman. But the sutras are still important because they give the proper spiritual direction and structure to that reflection.

Explanation

Pratikraman has two parts:

• External practice: reciting sutras, performing the proper ritual, sitting in discipline.
• Internal practice: true self-reflection, repentance, forgiveness, and transformation.

If someone only recites sutras but the mind is elsewhere, then the deeper purpose is missed.

And if people are sleeping, gossiping, or distracted during Pratikraman, that is not the ideal way. But their behavior should not reduce your faith in the value of Pratikraman itself.

The problem is not with the sutras. The problem is with lack of awareness while doing them.

Sutras help because they remind us of important Jain principles such as:

• Michchhāmi Dukkaḍaṁ — asking forgiveness for faults.
• Alochana — openly acknowledging mistakes.
• Pratyakhyan — making a resolve to avoid wrong actions in future.
• Samayik bhav — becoming steady, peaceful, and equanimous.
• Ahimsa and restraint — becoming more careful in thoughts, words, and actions.

The sutras are like a mirror. But we have to look into that mirror sincerely.

Spiritual Understanding

In Jain Dharma, the main enemy is not another person. The real enemies are our own inner passions:

• anger,
• ego,
• deceit,
• greed,
• attachment,
• jealousy,
• carelessness.

Pratikraman helps us pause and ask:

• Whom did I hurt today?
• Where did I speak harshly?
• Where did ego control me?
• Where did I act with greed or attachment?
• Did I knowingly or unknowingly cause pain to living beings?
• What do I need to improve tomorrow?

This is the living heart of Pratikraman.

If you do not understand all the sutras, you can still sit with devotion and reflect on your actions. Slowly, learning the meaning of the sutras will make the practice much deeper.

Takeaway

You are right that self-reflection is essential. But in Jain Dharma, sutras are not separate from reflection. They are meant to guide it.

Do Pratikraman with awareness, even if others are distracted. Instead of looking at who is sleeping or gossiping, gently turn inward and ask:

“What is my dosh, and how can I purify my soul?”

That sincere bhav is the true beginning of Pratikraman.