The ABC of Penance

[Guest guest]

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