Tapasya - an essential subject

Tapasya is to perform austerities; but why must we do so? The answer is simple: for understanding our constitutional positions in relation to God, and to ultimately go back to Him post death. We must perform devotional service (the purificatory process) by which we can achieve this goal. Srila Prabhupada gives a few definitions of this word: Tapasya means voluntarily accepting some inconvenience such as no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating and no gambling; tapasya means we must prolong or proceed with our Kṛṣṇa consciousness activities in spite of all dangerous and calamitous conditions of this world and finally, tapasya means cleansing the heart.

Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures, conversations and letters offer a comprehensive presentation of this essential subject as seen in the Vaniquotes Tapasya category. An introduction from his books is given below in the following 8 quotes.

Quotes from Srila Prabhupada's books


vanipedia.org 		Tapasya means voluntary acceptance of bodily pains to achieve some higher end of life. Rāvaṇa and Hiraṇyakaśipu underwent a severe type of bodily torture to achieve the end of sense gratification. Sometimes modern politicians also undergo severe types of austerities to achieve some political end. This is not actually tapasya. One should accept voluntary bodily inconvenience for the sake of knowing Vāsudeva because that is the way of real austerities. Otherwise all forms of austerities are classified as modes of passion and ignorance. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.28-29)



vanipedia.org 		According to Bhāgavata philosophy, every human being is meant simply for this tapa and for no other business, because by penance only can one realize his self; and self-realization, not sense gratification, is the business of human life. This tapa, or penance, was begun from the very beginning of the creation, and it was first adopted by the supreme spiritual master, Lord Brahmā. By tapasya only can one get the profit of human life, and not by a polished civilization of animal life. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.9.6)



vanipedia.org 		Nothing is possible without tapasya. Lord Brahmā, however, was empowered to create this entire universe because of his austerities. The more we engage in austerities, the more we become powerful by the grace of the Lord. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.4.49-50)



vanipedia.org 		When Lord Brahmā was perplexed about how to construct the material manifestations in the universe and went down within the water to find out the means and the source of his lotus seat, he heard the word tapa vibrated twice. Taking the path of tapa is the second birth of the desiring disciple. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.9.6)



vanipedia.org 		The Lord, being the source of everything that be, is the origin of all austerities and penances also. Great vows of austerity are undertaken by sages to achieve success in self-realization. Human life is meant for such tapasya, with the great vow of celibacy, or brahmacarya. In the rigid life of tapasya, there is no place for the association of women. And because human life is meant for tapasya, for self-realization, factual human civilization, as conceived by the system of sanātana-dharma or the school of four castes and four orders of life, prescribes rigid dissociation from woman in three stages of life. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.7.6)



vanipedia.org 		A sādhu, a devotee, is never angry. Actually the real feature of devotees who undergo tapasya, austerity, is forgiveness. Although a Vaiṣṇava has sufficient power in tapasya, he does not become angry when put into difficulty. If one undergoes tapasya but does not become a Vaiṣṇava, however, one does not develop good qualities. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.4.5)



vanipedia.org 		An enjoyer of the senses can never realize God, godliness or the science of theistic knowledge. Thus when Brahmā, initiated by Śrī Kṛṣṇa by the sound vibration tapa, engaged himself in acts of austerity, by the pleasure of Viṣṇu he was able to visualize the transcendental world, Śrī Vaikuṇṭha, through transcendental realization. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.50)



vanipedia.org 		The real purpose of human life is to attain liberation from material entanglement. Such liberation may be achieved by many methods (tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena ca damena ca (SB 6.1.13)), but all of them more or less depend on tapasya, austerity, which begins with celibacy. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.46)


Tapasya - explore more within this category.

Vanipedia has now over 903 introductory articles compiled from Srila Prabhupada's books under the series titled Essential Subjects. All these articles can be seen in the Table of Content on the right side of this article and also here in this Umbrella Category. Browse through them to relish the breadth and depth of Srila Prabhupada's teachings - There is a subject for everyone.


   
 

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