TAPAS

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True TapaSEarn first, renounce later Tasyai tapo damah karmeti pratishtha veda

sarvaagani satyamaayatanam. Tapah damah karma:

 

“austerity”, “self-control” and “work”

— these are the supports, the foundation of Brahman. Tapah is usually

interpreted as “austerities”. If somebody takes a vow and stands

with one hand upwards for ten years, some call it tapas. The word tapas is

derived from the root tap, which means “to burn”. So, tapas also

means “to burn away”. But austerity is not just having one

loincloth, or standing with one hand upraised. There is this story about Janak

Maharaj who used to go to the forest to study at the feet of his master, the

great sage Yajnavalkya, who always had a seat in front reserved for the king.

The other ascetics and sanyasins used to feel jealous of the king. They thought

the Maharishi was either afraid of him or partial to him because he was a king.

But Yajnavalkya said nothing, for generally sages do not react to criticism.

One day, while the group was discussing the Upanishads — the truth of

Brahman, the reality of existence and so on — a messenger came running,

saying, “Sir, Videha is burning and the fire is spreading into the

forest!” Some ascetics started running to save their belongings. Only

Janak Maharaj stayed seated and quiet. The rishi turned to the ascetics and

said, “This is the difference between him and you. His whole kingdom is

burning but his attention is on Brahman, whereas you are running after meagre

possessions! You think you have given up the world but in reality you have

not!” You see, there is a great deal of difference between physically

giving up and actually giving up. If one has given up all material possessions

yet is attached to what little one has, then one has not really given up

anything. There is a beautiful sentence in the Ishavaasya Upanishad, which

says, “Tena tyaktena bhunjita” — “give up and

rejoice.” Normally when you give up, you suffer, is it not? Once, when

Swami Vivekananda was wandering around India, a young man came to him and said,

“Sir, I want to renounce everything and become a sanyasin.” Swamiji

said, “Great, you must be a mature man to be able to do that! What is

your education?” The young man replied that his parents were dead. He had

nothing, no home. Swamiji said, “Then what are you going to

renounce?” The young man said he wanted to give up what little he had and

become like the Buddha. Swamiji replied, “Buddha had a whole kingdom to

give up, but you have nothing to renounce. First go earn a lakh of rupees, then

come to me and say you want to renounce it. That is real tapas.” Extracted

from ‘Wisdom of the Rishis’, Satsang Foundation, Wisdom Tree Books