Tapasya literally means deep meditation, effort to achieve self-realization, sometimes involving solitude, hermitism or asceticism

Tapasya literally means deep meditation, effort to achieve self-realization, sometimes involving solitude, hermitism or asceticism; it is derived from the word root tap, which depending on context means "heat" from fire or weather, or blaze, burn, shine, penance, pain, suffering, mortification. The word tapasya is often translated as austerity, but tapas means a process of purification by which you make yourself more seasoned, more mature. The body of man is very weak, and his mind is weaker. Just like your car needs repair, the same way, the body and mind have to be overhauled, and that process is known as tapas.

Many people think that tapas refers to the austere life of a puritan. Well, if you are indulging in sensual life and have too many attachments which are affecting the mind, heart and body, you have to maintain certain restrictions, prohibitions and abstentions. That is not austerity; it is a method of treatment, whereby you can purify and free yourself of the dirt, patterns and complexes that cause pain and suffering.

There are Himalayan sadhus, who lives there all year around in severe cold, without a fire place or heating of any kind, their hearts are so alight with love of God and Truth that it outshines the cold and other hardships they encounter in this forbidding environment. Does one have to live in such austerity to love God? Surely there are easier ways than living in a remote cave or in forests. Although most people have at least some admiration and respect for this type of austerity, as it is believed that renunciation leads to moksha. Tapasya doesn’t mean harming your body by excess austerity, but renouncing something that you know isn’t good for us. Silence is tapasya for many of us. Our minds are not used to keeping silent and turning the focus inwards. Tapasya is cutting out self-destructive tendencies, such as eating things that aren’t good for us, smoking, drinking, drugs, unhealthy relationships, oversleeping etc etc. In yoga, they make use of something called a sankalpa (intention). A sankalpa is like a vow: once taken, you cannot break it, no matter what. So a common sankalpa would be to recite a certain mantra X times in X days; to get up at 4 am every morning for meditation for the next 90 days; to stop eating sweets for the next three months; to stay in a given place for a year; etc etc. After the sankalpa has been completed, one can take up the old habit again – but one often finds that the body doesn’t want to do so any longer because it recognizes that it feels better without the habit.

These actions are called intelligent austerities because they purify our bodies, our temples in which Spirit dwells, and thus bring us closer to Truth and to who we really are without our conditionings. They may be hard to do initially, but the benefits will soon outweigh the cost. It may not be on a par with living a hermit’s life in a cave, but it’s very much doable and applicable to our modern lifestyles that often include many responsibilities. And you may find that some of the glow of tapas will find its way into your eyes and onto your faces, too.
Om Namah Shivaya ~ Har Har Mahadev!