[Advaita-l] Tapas

[V Subrahmanian]

Tapas has several meanings.  In the Taittiriyopanishad there occurs in the
Bhruguvalli 'tapasA brahma vijijnAsasva' [seek to realize Brahman through
tapas] as upadesha from Bhrugu's father for the first time, and each time
he approaches him for instruction: sa tapas taptvA punareva varuNam pitaram
upasasAra.  Shankaracharya, commenting for the word 'tapas', cites a
Mahabharata verse:

manasashchendriyANAm hi aikAgryam paramam tapaH = the one-pointedness of
the mind and the sense/motor organs is considered to be the highest tapas.

Here the word takes the meaning of nididhyAsanam.

In the Mundakopanishat 1.2.9 we have the mantra 'yaH sarvajnaH sarvavit
yasya jnAnamayam tapaH' where the word 'tapas' means: AlochanE.  That is,
to engage in deep contemplation is also termed 'tapas' by the dhAtu artha:
'tap' = AlochanE.  Here Shankara comments: yasya jnAnavikArameva tapaH, na
AyAsalakShaNam.  [His, Brahman (as Ishwara)'s knowledge, Omniscience,
itself is tapas and not any austerity involving tiresomeness/effort.

regards
subrahmanian.v


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