Companions in Solitude - 2:
My Solitary Himalayan Seclusion and Purpose of Tap Sadhana
The ordinary mica, when heated hundred times in fire, becomes Chandroday Ras, an invaluable Ayurvedic medicine. Only when purified on fire several times, the metals become valuable Bhasma, Rasayan etc. that provide cure and healing for serious diseases. Ordinary grains, pulses and vegetable in their raw states are tasteless, uneatable and indigestible. But when cooked on fire they become tasty and easily digestible. The soiled dirty clothes, when heated in the washerman?s boiler, are washed clean and spotless. The foods we take in are digested by the fire in the stomach (in the form of pancreatic secretions) and help produce blood, bones and marrow that build up and sustain our bodies. If the purification in fire or the process of heating is stopped, all the processes of nature will come to halt. All the functions of creation are going on only because of heating up of nature. The latent potential in the creations manifests itself in various forms of Tap like energy, valour, courage, enthusiasm, knowledge, science and so on.
Mother nourishes the embryo in the uterus by her body heat and gives birth to the baby. Whosoever endeav-oured to rise above the humdrum, lazy, indolent state had had to take up Tap. All the brave men and women who have left their imprint on the pages of history have had to undergo Tap in their own way. Similarly the chosen few from amongst the farmers, students, labourers, scientists, administrators, scholars, industrialists, and artisans who have made some great contribution in their respective fields could do so because of their extraordinary hard work, perseverance, devotion and Tap. Had they remained dull, lazy and inactive and indulged in ease, comfort, lavishness and merriment, they could never have reached the heights they attained by their tireless toil and perseverance. Of all the energies, spiritual energy is the purest and greatest. It also implies that wealth of spiritual enlightenment is superior to all the worldly wealth. Even with ordinary power of wealth, wisdom and might, people achieve enormous progress and happiness, but the achievements of those who have gained spiritual enlightenment are many times greater.
The difference between the worldly wealth and spiritual wealth is the same as between brass and gold or glass and gem. There are a lot of people who are rich, virtuous, powerful rulers, scholars and artists. But they cannot be compared to the great souls who not only elevated themselves but also contributed immensely for the betterment of the world through their spiritual attainments. In ancient times too, those who wanted their children to be endowed with virtuous qualities like hard work, perseverance, patience, peace, truthfulness, compassion and wisdom used to send them to the Gurukuls, (seats of learning under the guidance of Gurus) so that they could be well groomed to inculcate such virtues and be able to face the hardships, hard realities and challenges of life unflinchingly, confidently and boldly.
Companions in Solitude - 3
Whenever and wherever any great thing has been accomplished in this world, there was inevitably the power of penance behind it. Our country has been the land of gods and god-like humans. The land of Bharat was called Paradise on Earth. It was also in the forefront of humanity in terms of wealth, knowledge and valour. The credit for attaining this peak of progress is attributed to the unshakeable adherence to noble-aimed penance of its people of yore. The lazy, selfish, amorous, pompous and greedy people have always been looked down with contempt and considered inferior by the basic Indian culture. The greatness of the power of Tap was truly understood and imbibed throughout the golden ages of our history making them the torch-bearers of spiritual, ethical and moral values of humanity as also rich in worldly prosperity. If we go through the past history of Bharat i.e. India, it will become evident that the multifaceted progress of this land has been based on penance and its adoption. Lord Brahma, the creator of this universe, performed Upasana of Gayatri for hundred years, sitting on the lotus emerging out of the navel of Lord Vishnu, before embarking on his mission of creation. Manu, the ancient sage, who framed the ancient ethical and moral code of conduct for human society, was able to accomplish the great assignment only after performing penance along with his wife Shatroopa.
Lord Shankar is himself the embodiment of Tap. Shesh, symbolised as the Serpent, is carrying the weight of this earth on his head by the power of Tap. Saptarishis, the seven pre-eminent Rishis in ancient India, performed Tap of immense proportions, as the result of which they became immortal and are now shining in the sky as seven stars. Brahaspati, the guru of the gods and Shukracharya the guru of demons were able to guide and protect their pupils by the power of their tap. The superhuman capabilities of Vishwamitra, who brought into manifestation a new creation, and Vashishtha, who had been giving guidance to several generations of the kings of Raghu dynasty lay in Tap Sadhana. Once king Viswamitra, along with his troop of soldiers, visited Vashishtha in his hermitage in the forest. The latter instantly arranged a sumptuous fare befitting the guest and his entourage, despite there having been no visible materials or facilities for the purpose. Seeing this, Vishwamitra was awestruck. This was made possible through the miraculous powers of Kamdhenu cow kept by Rishi Vashishtha in his Ashram. Later, Vishwamitra invaded the Ashram of the Rishi to get hold of the divinely blessed cow but he was defeated by the unarmed Vashishtha again with the help of Kamdhenu. Vishwamitra then declared that a king?s formidable might is powerless before the power of Brahma tej of a Rishi and he renounced his kingdom and took to the path of tap for the rest of his life.
In order to rescue his forefathers condemned to hell and to quench the thirst of the parched land and thereby ensure the well being of the people, it became necessary for Bhagirath to bring Ganga from heaven to earth. This was not possible by any worldly efforts. So, intense penance was the only way. Moved by his hard painstaking and untiring penance holy Ganga agreed to come down to earth, for which Lord Shiva had to be persuaded to bear the enormous impact of torrential Ganga on his matted head. Only superhuman Tap could accomplish this descent of holy Ganga on Earth.
Thanks GOD,Thanks Sadguru,
Shiv Sharma
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