“tapah svadhyaye svara pranidhanani kriya yogah”
Many people think tapas means austerity and torturing one’s own self. People also imagine, tapas means that which people did in ancient ages – standing on one leg for years, immersing oneself in water, standing on thorny foot-rest etc. They were, in a way, tapas in the early ages. But, in the Kali Yuga, such kind of tapas is not helpful. For sadhakas like us, tapas means to close one’s eyes, look within oneself and find out what comes in the way of experiencing the bliss within. After identifying the obstacles, one has to create a dynamic counter energy within oneself to overcome such identified obstacles.. For example, if one is more talkative, the tapas would be to observe silence. If one is in the habit of bossing over, the tapas would be to not to boss over, but to become accommodative. If one overeats as a habit, the tapas is to eat in moderation.
If you sit with a bent back, the tapas here is sitting straight and standing straight. Every minute should become tapas for you. Don’t be under the impression that fasting is tapas. You just watch the kind of fasting people do. If you are in the habit of withdrawing from challenges with a feeling of “what to do” in helplessness, explore the possibilities of doing something positive. Once you create this kind of a positive attitude, you would really be happy. That is the effect of tapas.
The literal meaning of tapas is taapa, heat. That is, one should generate the requisite heat in him so that it burns away one’s negative tendencies, karmas, and vasanas. It is wise to attend to the habit patterns that are coming in the way of Sadhana and to continuously work on it. When you slowly, but consistently, work on them, the conditioned habit patterns would lose their power to dominate you and, in turn, you grow stronger. Such tapas would lead you to svaadhyaaya. Sva stands for self, adhyaaya for study. Many people mistake svaadhyaaya to studying scriptures. It really means that when one puts oneself in tapas, many reactions start coming up. As they come up, it gives an opportunity for one to study one’s reactions, as to wherefrom they come and why do they come. Let me tell you of my own experience. Sometime ago, I suddenly decided to observe silence. I asked the volunteers not to disturb me during my silence. I confined myself to a room, and the volunteers started discussing what to do next, because things were to be organized in my absence. Then, I heard them deciding to contact a particular set of people, whom I knew to be non-cooperating. There was an urge to tell them the truth by breaking the silence. The urge would come up to the lips, but my inner personality would remind me of my vow. I would keep quiet. After sometimes, again the urge would come with a vengeance, and again I would keep quiet.
This happened for nearly ten days and it was a terrible struggle. My mind started questioning the very purpose of my observing silence. My ego would say, “I am running the organization, and if I don’t work, the organization would die, and with its death my existence too would disappear.” The run of thoughts was like this. I began to study all these reactions. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that it is not because of me the things are moving, but they are moving as they would . I also understood that I am merely an instrument in the hands of divinity, and I should not have any attachment to the organization. In such a self-study, the Ishvara Pranidhaana happens. As I experienced a turmoil in me, I understood that I am merely an instrument of my Master who said “Bete, I am with you. You simply stay with your sadhana and I would do the rest.” This is the way of Kriya Yoga. Give importance to tapas and svaadhyaaya; then surrender happens on its own accord. You would start experiencing glimpses of the divinity. This would strengthen your faith in the divinity; this would also build a tremendous confidence in you.
May you succeed in your tapas.
If you sit with a bent back, the tapas here is sitting straight and standing straight. Every minute should become tapas for you. Don’t be under the impression that fasting is tapas. You just watch the kind of fasting people do. If you are in the habit of withdrawing from challenges with a feeling of “what to do” in helplessness, explore the possibilities of doing something positive. Once you create this kind of a positive attitude, you would really be happy. That is the effect of tapas.
The literal meaning of tapas is taapa, heat. That is, one should generate the requisite heat in him so that it burns away one’s negative tendencies, karmas, and vasanas. It is wise to attend to the habit patterns that are coming in the way of Sadhana and to continuously work on it. When you slowly, but consistently, work on them, the conditioned habit patterns would lose their power to dominate you and, in turn, you grow stronger. Such tapas would lead you to svaadhyaaya. Sva stands for self, adhyaaya for study. Many people mistake svaadhyaaya to studying scriptures. It really means that when one puts oneself in tapas, many reactions start coming up. As they come up, it gives an opportunity for one to study one’s reactions, as to wherefrom they come and why do they come. Let me tell you of my own experience. Sometime ago, I suddenly decided to observe silence. I asked the volunteers not to disturb me during my silence. I confined myself to a room, and the volunteers started discussing what to do next, because things were to be organized in my absence. Then, I heard them deciding to contact a particular set of people, whom I knew to be non-cooperating. There was an urge to tell them the truth by breaking the silence. The urge would come up to the lips, but my inner personality would remind me of my vow. I would keep quiet. After sometimes, again the urge would come with a vengeance, and again I would keep quiet.
This happened for nearly ten days and it was a terrible struggle. My mind started questioning the very purpose of my observing silence. My ego would say, “I am running the organization, and if I don’t work, the organization would die, and with its death my existence too would disappear.” The run of thoughts was like this. I began to study all these reactions. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that it is not because of me the things are moving, but they are moving as they would . I also understood that I am merely an instrument in the hands of divinity, and I should not have any attachment to the organization. In such a self-study, the Ishvara Pranidhaana happens. As I experienced a turmoil in me, I understood that I am merely an instrument of my Master who said “Bete, I am with you. You simply stay with your sadhana and I would do the rest.” This is the way of Kriya Yoga. Give importance to tapas and svaadhyaaya; then surrender happens on its own accord. You would start experiencing glimpses of the divinity. This would strengthen your faith in the divinity; this would also build a tremendous confidence in you.
May you succeed in your tapas.
Sri Pattabhiram
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