Article sent from The Hindu on indiaserver.com

[Guest guest]

=============================================================

This article is emailed to you by Ram Chandran ( rchandran )

=============================================================

Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

 

Penance, an ennobling virtue

 

CHENNAI, DEC. 27. Penance (Tapas) has been spoken of as the key

to achievement whether in secular or spiritual life. It is common

knowledge that when a person works towards achieving a certain

goal, he sets aside his other preoccupations to concentrate on

the task till the end is realised. The one-pointedness of mind

essential to achieve an end gives a positive direction and

orientation to all the actions of the person undertaking it. One

might have heard of instances in the lives of great achievers

when they had been totally oblivious to everything around them

when they set about their objectives.

 

If it is necessary to be focussed to achieve secular goals one

can understand the extent to which this quality has to be

cultivated to realise the spiritual goal. The leitmotif of the

scriptural texts is the concept of penance. This can be seen even

in the context of the description of how the Supreme Being

created this manifold universe. The scripture says that the Lord

created by ``Tapas''.

 

Penance must then be understood as the quality an individual

develops and practises when he orients his actions towards

realising certain objectives in his life. Contrary to the general

notion that penance involves self-mortification by adopting

certain austerities to realise the spiritual goal, it is not so.

Penance is an ennobling virtue which when practised rightly has

the capacity to bring out the best in a person.

 

The Bhagavad Gita denounced austerity that was practised through

perversity and was accompanied with self-mortification or was

intended to harm others, said Swami Asutoshananda in his

discourse. The Katha Upanishad also brings in this idea in the

context of explaining the eternal Self which survives death.

Nachiketa questioned the god of death (Yama) about the mystery of

death and what survived after death when he obtained boons from

the god.

 

Though he dissuaded him at first and asked the boy to seek

worldly riches and pleasures as he was too young to be engaged in

philosophical discourse, seeing his determination he yielded and

enlightened him on the existential truths of life and death which

touch upon the philosophical concepts of existence.

 

That by which this diverse world was known and remained when all

that was perceived were known to be transient was the Self

(Atman), was explained to Nachiketa. All actions give result but

the logical question arises as to who dispenses the result. The

god explained to him that it was the Self which remained as the

eternal witness to a person's actions, thoughts and the life-

force (Prana) and retained them as latent impressions when the

soul transmigrated.

 

 

Copyrights: 2000 The Hindu & Tribeca Internet Initiatives Inc.

 

Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly

prohibited without the consent of The Hindu & Tribeca Internet Initiatives Inc.