Voluntarily Accepting Tapasya to Purify Existence
Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the voluntary acceptance of tapasya, or austerity, is the gateway to spiritual purification and the distinct duty of human life. While the modern world encourages the unbridled pursuit of comfort and sense gratification, Vedic wisdom teaches that enduring voluntary inconvenience is necessary to cure the disease of material conditioning. By accepting the discipline of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the living entity purifies their existence and paves the way for eternal happiness.
Meaning of Tapasya
Śrīla Prabhupāda defines tapasya not as meaningless suffering, but as the voluntary acceptance of a difficult condition to achieve a cure or a higher goal. Just as a patient must follow a strict diet to recover health, a spiritual aspirant accepts the "misery" of discipline to solve the problems of material life.
- Tapasya: voluntary acceptance of a miserable condition. The ability to do this is good, and human life is meant for that purpose.
- If a doctor advises a diabetic patient not to eat but to starve for some days, although no one likes to starve, the patient must voluntarily accept starvation if he wants to be cured. This is tapasya: voluntary acceptance of a miserable condition.
- Tapasya means voluntary acceptance of bodily pains to achieve some higher end of life. Ravana and Hiranyakasipu underwent a severe type of bodily torture to achieve the end of sense gratification.
Duty of Human Life
According to Śrīla Prabhupāda, human life is specifically meant for self-realization through austerity, distinguishing it from animal life which revolves around basic survival instincts. He warns that a life devoid of tapasya, focused solely on eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, results in a wasted opportunity.
- The human life's business is to accept tapasya, voluntarily accepting some inconvenience of life. That is called tapasya.
- As King Rsabha advised His sons, tapasya, or voluntary acceptance of penance for realization of the Transcendence, is the only duty of the human being; it was so done by the Lord Himself in an exemplary manner to teach us.
- If you simply give away in the animal propensities of life - eating, sleeping, mating and defending - and don't accept the process of tapasya, then your human life is failure.
Purification and Spiritual Result
The ultimate purpose of accepting these austerities is to purify one's existence and regain one's eternal position. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that by undergoing these necessary difficulties, one qualifies themselves for God realization and returning home, back to Godhead.
- If you accept this tapasya, or austerity, for God realization, then your existentional position will be purified.
- Actually, one should undergo severe austerities and penances only to achieve spiritual happiness. In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is recommended that tapasya, or austerity, should be accepted for realizing the Supreme Lord.
- If we become purified from this material contamination, then we get back our eternal life, back to home, back to Godhead. That is required. That is . . . for that we have to accept little tapasya.
Tapasya in the Age of Kali
In the current age, the severe physical penances performed by yogis in the past are impossible for the common man. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the practical tapasya for this age is the adherence to the four regulative principles and the chanting of the holy names, which is a joyful yet disciplined process.
- Acceptance of tapasya means that tapasya is itself Krsna. You associate with Krsna. When you voluntarily give up meat-eating or intoxication, this giving up, this process, is Krsna.
- No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. This is tapasya, voluntarily accepting... Those who are practiced to all these bad habits... So they will feel some pain, but you accept that pain. Then this pain will be over.
- In this Kali-yuga, you cannot accept this tapasya; you cannot perform the celibacy, you cannot practice yoga, you cannot control your mind, you cannot control your senses. This is your position.
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu does not give you such prescription. He gives you very nice program: chant, dance and take prasadam. Still we are unwilling. We cannot accept this tapasya.
Conclusion
In summary, voluntarily accepting tapasya is the indispensable price for spiritual freedom. While the conditioned soul naturally recoils from inconvenience, Śrīla Prabhupāda instructs that without this voluntary discipline—manifested today as the four regulative principles and service to the Lord—there is no possibility of solving the problems of life or realizing the Absolute Truth.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Accepting Tapasya. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.