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                Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya 
nama:

 

                         The ABC of  Penance
 

The boy (nay, he was but an infant) was supporting himself with just a toehold 
on earth. His palms were held high above his head, joined in supplication. His 
young and thin body was emaciated with continuous fasting, with not even 
liquids to sustain the physique. Bones were covered with just a thin layer of 
flesh, the body having long back exhausted the accumulated reserves of baby 
fat. His eyes were shut tight, to ward off external distractions. He had 
retracted his listening faculty too into his mind, so that no mundane sounds 
disturbed his concentration. The only sign of life in him was the barely 
perceptible rise and fall of the chest. Unbeknownst to himself, his body was 
covered with an aura, a halo, that signifies all arduous spiritual endeavour. 

 

Despite all this, Dhruva was awash inside with an indescribable bliss, the 
bliss of constant contemplation of the Ultimate, which made him oblivious to 
the aching leg (he had forgotten how long he had been on his feet-correction-on 
his left foot, for he was standing on a single foot, with the sole of the right 
foot placed on the instep of the left), the razor-sharp hunger gnawing at his 
innards and all the attendant physical inconveniences. All mundane thoughts had 
been banished long back from his pure mind, which now had space and focus only 
for the glorious form and magnificent attributes of Sri Hari-"Atmani asEsha 
DEvEsam stthitam VishNum amanyata" says the Vishnu Puranam, describing Sri 
Dhruva's unprecedented penance for God-realisation. 

 

This, then, is the form of Tapas that Dhruva engaged in. Having heard such 
tales from our childhood, of Dhruva and of other worthies who performed penance 
of such high order, we have a healthy respect of the word "Tapas"-the respect 
we reserve for exalted things which we admire in characters from the Scripture, 
whether it be the infant Dhruva or the hardened VisvAmitra Maharshi. It is a 
respect we reserve for things, which we know well, are much beyond our own 
contemplation, leave alone achievement. When we hear the word "Tapas", we do 
not think of it as being applicable to ourselves, but only to mythological or 
Puranic characters. The very word, and the accompanying thought of attendant 
physical and mental hardships, make us decide that Tapas is not for weaklings 
like us-we can at best admire its practitioners, that too from a healthy 
distance, but adopting it ourselves appears beyond our limited reserves of 
physical and mental strength.

 

Before we decide whether "Tapas" is for us or not, let us see how the Shruti 
extols Penance. Of all spiritual endeavours, Tapas appears to command a pride 
of place, if the numerous adulatory references to it in the Vedas are any 
indication. 

The Narayanavalli of the Taiitiriyopanishad tells us that for acquiring wisdom 
regarding the Ultimate, Tapas is indispensable. In fact, the Upanishad accords 
Penance such an exalted stature that it regards all spiritual endeavour (((, 
whether it be common good qualities like Truthfulness-- "Ritam" and its 
variant, Satyam--, lending our ears to words of wisdom-Shrutam--, acquisition 
of inner peace and tranquillity-ShAntam--, munificence and 
philanthropy--'DAnam"--, performance of various sacrifices-"Yagyam"  ))) as but 
different forms of "Tapas". Here is the beautiful quote from the Upanishad-

 

"Ritam Tapa: Satyam Tapa: Shrutam Tapa: ShAntam Tapa: DAnam Tapa: Yagya: Tapa:"

It is thus clear that Tapas is the Crowning Glory of all forms of activities 
aimed at liberation.

 

The very same Upanishad also tells us that not only should we ourselves 
practice Penance, we should teach it to others too, so that the glorious 
practice lives on to confer its generous benefits on mankind, generation after 
generation-"Tapascha svAdhyAya pravachanE cha". A TapasvI of renown named 
"Poursishti" asserts that more than everything, it is Tapas which is 
overwhelmingly superior-"Tapa iti tapO nitya: Pourusishti:".  Not to be outdone 
by Pourusishti, VaruNa, the Deity of the Waters, tells his son Sage Brighu that 
the latter should regard Tapas as verily the Lord Himself: it also doubles as 
the strategy for realising the Lord-

"TapasA Brahma vigigyAsasva, TapO Brahma iti". Making us wonder whether the 
Taittiriyopanishad is one continuous eulogy to Tapas, the Upanishad has an 
adulatory reference to Penance, at the end too-

 

"TapasA dEvA dEvatAm agra Ayan, TapasA Rishaya: Suva: anva vindan, TapasA 
sapatnAn praNudAm ArAtIm, Tapasi sarvam pratishttitam"

 

The Celestials have attained their exalted status due to Penance, which is also 
the reason for Rishis reaching Svargam. If you want to overcome those who have 
nothing but hate for you, Tapas is the strategy therefor.  With all this, 
inquires the Upanishad, is it any wonder that Tapas is touted to be the best 
among all its contemporaries which pass as spiritual endeavours?-_"TasmAt Tapa: 
paramam vadanti". All the others are based on Tapas, without which they are but 
empty shells, comments this compendium of wisdom--"Tapasi sarvam pratishthitam".

 

The importance of Tapas can be understood from the fact that the great Epic 
Srimad Ramayanam begins with the same word-

"Tapa: svAdhyAya niratam tapasvI vAgvidAm varam

nAradam paripapraccha VAlmIki: muni pungavam"

Both Sri Narada and Sri Valmiki are glorified as being adept at Tapas, having 
performed it for long.

 

Azhwars too consider Tapas to be extremely important. When Sri Tondaradippodi 
lists his own shortcomings, it is primarily to the lack of Tapas in him that he 
alludes first-"TavattuLLAr tammil allEn". The same Azhawar says that exalted 
deities like Rudra and BrahmA practice penance for aeons, just to have a 
glimpse of the Lord-

 

"PeN ulAm sadaiyinAnum Piramanum unnai kANbAn

eNNilA oozhi oozhi tavam seidAr".

 

If this Azhwar rues his lack of Tapas, there is another who boasts of being 
endowed with the virtue in good measure. Here is Sri BhootattAzhwar bragging 
about his accomplishment-

"yAnE tavam seidEn Ezh pirappum eppouzhudum

 yAnE tavam udayan Emperuman!"

 

Perhaps the best definition and classification of Tapas are to be found in the 
Gita, in the 17th Chapter. Here, the Lord gives a detailed discourse on the 
form, attributes, types and requisites of Penance. Classifying Tapas into three 
categories, that using the body, the spoken word and the Mind, the Gitacharya 
tells us in detail about each of these.

 

1.      What constitutes Tapas in the physical sense? Sri Krishna enumerates 
the constituents of physical Tapas-

 

"DEva dvija Guru prAgya poojanam Shoucham Arjavam

 Brahmacharyam ahimsA cha shAreeram Tapa uchyatE"

 

A.     Worshipping the Celestials led by the Lord, Brahmins well versed in the 
Scripture, one's AchAryAs and the wise ones. 

B.     Keeping the body pure through frequent baths in sacred rivers like the 
Ganga

C.     Complete identity of thought, word and deed, with scrupulous avoidance 
of hypocrisy

D.      Eliminating base thoughts that occur at the sight of beautiful women, 
treating them as mere objects of pleasure ("YOshitsu bhOgyatA buddhi 
varjanam"). The eye, upon falling upon the fairer sex, should regard them as 
one's own mother-"MAtruvat para dArEshu"

E.      Absolute avoidance of HimsA in any manner to anyone and espousal of 
non-violence in its most comprehensive form.

 

2.      Coming to Tapas that can be performed by the spoken word, the 
Gitacharya tells us how to fashion our speech. It is here that we recognise the 
Gita to be the comprehensive manual of practical wisdom, for, most of what is 
said by the Lord in this context is what forms the basis for the lengthy 
lectures delivered by our Management Gurus and Behavioural Specialists. What, 
then, constitutes Tapas of the Spoken Word?

A.     Our speech should not create a feeling of fright, terror or unnecessary 
excitement in others. Revealing of other's personal frailties, verbal abuse, 
words of anger and hate, etc. are to be shunned.

B.     We should speak the absolute Truth, as we know it. As has been 
emphasized elsewhere too, lying is an abuse of the God-given faculty of speech 
and is to be avoided at all cost.

C.     Our speech should be pleasing and beneficial to others. Enquiring after 
others' welfare, praising their good qualities, making them feel at ease and 
comfortable in our company-all these fall under this category.

D.     Perhaps the best and most superior component of this type of Tapas is 
the learning and recitation of Veda, which is the sacred duty of all 
TraivarNikAs. Since each letter and syllable of the Shruti denotes the 
ParamAtmA, Veda adhyayanam and PArayaNam represent the best type of Penance 
that can be performed through the spoken word. This is why the Upanishad 
exhorts us never to forsake learning and propagating the Vedas-"SvAdhyAya 
pravachanAbhyAm na pramaditavyam". This is also glorified as "Japa Yagyam". 

Here are beautiful words of the Lord, extolling the "VAngmayam Tapa:"-

"anudvEga karam vAkyam, Satyam, Priyahitam cha yat

 SvAdhyAya abhyasanam chaiva vAngmayam Tapa uchyatE"

 

3.      The third and last type of Penance is that performed with the Mind. 
This too has several components, as enumerated by the Lord:

A.     Clarity of mind, unclouded by anger, jealousy and attendant maladies. 
The mind should be like a clear and inviting pond, full of pure and pleasing 
waters, and not a muddied cesspool or a raging sea, incessantly pounded by 
waves of unwanted emotions.

B.     Benignity or Soumyatvam is another attribute, which constitutes mental 
Tapas. Our intentions towards others should be the best possible, shorn of all 
possible anger, jealousy, etc. that are the root causes of ill will.

C.     Silence is one of the best virtues one can cultivate and forms a penance 
in its own right. Though Silence is really a virtue of the tongue, since it is 
really the Mind that prompts speech, it is indicated as a function of the Mind 
too. And Silence can extend to the Mind too-when the Mind is absolutely 
tranquil, with no waves of emotion buffeting its shores, silence is what 
prevails, inside and out.

D.     Mind Control-this refers to ensuring that thoughts do not travel in 
undesirable channels.

E.      Since it is highly difficult to eliminate thoughts altogether and keep 
the mind blank, the Lord prescribes the strategy of canalising all thought 
towards Himself and His glorious form and attributes.

 

"Mana: prasAda: Soumyatvam Mounam Atma vinirgraha:

 bhAva samshuddhi: iti Etat Tapa: MAnasam uchyatE"

 

These, then, are the three types of Tapas expounded by Sri Krishna in the 
Gita-Bodily, Mental, and that through the instrument of Speech.

 

Based on the intentions behind this Tapas, the Lord classifies Penance into 
three more classes-SAtvikam, RAjasam, and TAmasam.

 

Penance performed with absolute devotion, with no specific object other than 
the Lord's pleasure, is the best of all Tapas and is called SAtvika Tapas. 

 

Tapas undertaken with the intention of attaining recognition, appreciation and 
admiration is classified as "RAjasam". The fruits of such penance are extremely 
ephemeral and lead to temporary attainments like Svargam.

 

Penance undertaken by adamant fools, who have no assessment of their own 
capabilities for performing such exalted tasks but are prompted by obstinacy 
and obduracy, as well as Tapas aimed at causing harm to others, come under the 
category of TAmasam. Penance undertaken by most of the asurAs would fall under 
this class.  

 

  We must acknowledge that our idea of Tapas as a forbidding endeavour, 
reserved for the Rishis and Sages of yore and beyond the contemplation of 
simple mortals like us, must have undergone a change, after the aforesaid 
clarifications offered by the Lord. What the Gitacharya says does put Tapas 
within the ambit of even our limited capabilities, provided we have the 
requisite devotion and firmness of purpose.  

 

All this is fine, but what about people like us, who are unable to focus our 
minds on the Lord even for a second, leave alone for interminable aeons, and 
unable to skip even a single meal without pangs of hunger consuming us alive, 
leave alone foregoing food for long?

 

 For those like me, for whom even the relatively simple prescriptions of the 
Lord appear much beyond their capabilities, here is Sri Tirumangai Mannan 
telling us that what can be achieved by severe penance (involving extreme 
physical hardship, prolonged fasting, exposure to extremes of heat and cold, an 
extremely Spartan diet consisting of fruits, roots and leaves intended solely 
to keep body and soul together) can be attained easily by seeking refuge in the 
Lord at Tirucchitrakoodam. In fact, Azhwar categorically forbids us from 
undertaking the aforesaid arduous forms of penance, having found an effective 
and unfailing alternative for achieving the avowed objective of liberation. 
Here is the beautiful pasuram, which relieves us of all responsibility of 
having to perform such gruelling Tapas-

 

"oon vAda uNnAdu uyir kAval ittu udalil piriyA pulan iyndum nondu

 tAm vAda vAda tavam seyya vENda tamadA imayOr ulagALakirpeer!

 KAnAda maggyai kaNamAda mAdE kayalAdu kAneer pazhanam pudai pOi

 TEn Ada mAda kodi Adu Tillai Tiruchchitra koodam chendru sErmingaLE!"

 

What a graphic description of the travails of Tapas! The body becomes skinny 
and emaciated due to prolonged denial of essential nutrition. However, one 
cannot forego food altogether, as body and soul have to be kept together 
through minimal intake in the form of water, fruits, roots, etc., so that 
continued penance is possible. All faculties are under terrific strain, due to 
this great physical distress. In some forms of penance, the devotee is required 
to stand amidst raging fire, exposing his body to the enervating heat and 
flames, and in others, to stand neck deep in the bitterly cold waters of lakes 
and ponds, during the severest of winters.

 

All these, says Azhwar, are totally unnecessary when the merciful and 
magnificent Lord of Tirucchitrakootam awaits us with open arms. If we study the 
aforesaid pasuram and the one that follows, it would appear that a mere journey 
to Tirucchitrakootam and reaching there would suffice, without even any 
positive act on our part, for us to achieve all that can be accomplished 
through hard penance of the sort described above.

 

"KAyOdu needu kani uNdu veesu kadum kAl nugarndu nedum kAlam-iyndu

teeyoodu nindru tavam seyya vENdA TirumArbanai sindayuL vaitthum enbeer!"

 

Merely fixing our thoughts on the Lord with the inseparable Consort would 
obtain for us the hard-to-attain fruits of liberation, which are otherwise to 
be achieved through tough Tapas, says Azhwar.

 

Here is Sri BhootattAzhwar prescribing an equally effective manner of Penance, 
for those who insist on espousing the same, without any of the rigours 
indicated above. This Azhwar gives us a new definition of Tapas, telling us 
(who are afraid of the hard physical strain it involves) that it is nothing but 
paying obeisance to the Lord, worshipping Him with the choicest of flowers and 
singing paeans of praise on Him, in the form of the Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram-

 

"Etthi paNindu avan pEr eeraigyooru eppozhudum

sAtti uraitthal Tavam".

 

The basic idea behind the prescriptions of the Azhwars is that highlighted by 
the Upanishad, telling us that what is to be achieved by hard Tapas can be 
equally accomplished by an extremely simple strategy, viz., Absolute Surrender 
or Sharanagati. The concluding passages of the Upanishad reveal the esoteric 
truth that Sharanagati is by far superior to Tapas, achieving in a trice and 
without sweat or tears, what unstinting and uncompromising penance would take 
to accomplish, in births spanning several millennia-"TasmAt nyAsam EshAm 
TapasAm atiriktam Ahu:" 

 

With matters simplified so much, tell me, who is afraid of Tapas now? Gone are 
the notions that Penance is reserved for the sages of yore, with Azhwars 
placing it very much within the reach of the common man. Gone from our mind are 
the forbidding images of Dhruva and others, which we normally associate with 
Tapas. First the simplified norms prescribed for Penance by the Gitacharya and 
then the more compassionate ones advocated by Sri Kalian and Sri Bhootattazhwar 
and the eminent alternative unfolded by the Taittiriyopanishad, make it an 
eminently possible exercise, even for the likes of us. 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmInrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana 
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

dasan, sadagopan

 

  



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




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