Youth And Upanishads - (The Need for Tapas)

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There is one more great teaching of the Upanishads which could be of great help to youth: self-discipline. Anyone interested in discovering his inner potential must learn to discipline his energies and time. The Sanskrit term for self-discipline is tapas. Tapas is often taken in its negative sense. But tapas or tapasya is not just denial. It means undergoing some hardship and difficulty voluntarily. It is tapas which taps our inner potential. An athlete undergoing intense training in increasing his stamina is an example of tapas. A student spending long hours in concentrated reading and writing is another example of tapas. Anything that is done voluntarily, with a great end in mind, is a form of tapas.

Self-discipline or tapas helps a youth:

1. to organize his energies and focus his ideas.
2. to help him have greater self-knowledge and self-control.
3. to develop a higher level of thinking.

As someone has rightly said, 'We cannot prepare the future for the youth, but we can certainly prepare the youth for the future.' What could be a better way to prepare a youth for the future than help him or her build his or her personality on the solid principle of tapas? A person of tapas is a strong person by any standard. Tapas revitalize and rejuvenate the personality. Let us have a look at some of the Upanishadic teachings about tapas.

1. Tapasa brahma vijijnasasva; tapo brahmeti —'Seek to know Brahman through tapas; Tapas is Brahman (the ultimate reality).'4
2. Tasya Jnanamayam tapah—'Whose tapas consists of knowledge of thought.'5
3. Tapamsi sarvani cha yat vadanti—'Tapas itself proclaims the glory of That which is the value of all values, the supreme end value, namely Atman or Brahman.'6

One curious fact about Upanishads is that many of their teachers or rishis were youth. This means that anyone who has faith in oneself, practices right type of tapas and keeps before him the great goal of self-transformation can be a rishi. Be it the field of science and technology, or music or arts or sports or any other fields, the secret lies in faith and self-discipline.

However hopeless may be the situation, one can surely overcome all challenges through tapas and Shraddha. Echoing this idea, asked Swami Vivekananda,

'Do you know how much energy, how many powers, how many forces, are still lurking behind that frame of yours? What scientist has known all that is in man? Millions of years have passed since man first came here, and yet but one infinitesimal part of his powers has been manifested. Therefore, you must not say that you are weak. How do you know what possibilities lie behind that degradation on the surface? You know but little of that which is within you. For behind you is the ocean of infinite power and blessedness. 7

Conclusion

One of the Upanishads, Prashna Upanishad, has a story. Six young earnest seekers of truth approach the venerable and enlightened sage Pippalada. They request him to answer their unanswered questions on cosmology, vital energy and consciousness. The sage obliges. Indeed, if the youth could approach in the same spirit of inquiry and respect, the Upanishads will reveal the secrets they contain. Let them recall the well known prayer from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 'asato ma sadgamaya' and earnestly seek the Truth of the Self. The Upanishads call upon the youth to seek their Eternal Core, and not just hide in fear behind the false self. Man is not matter; he is not subject to death. He is not a finite being but the infinite Consciousness Itself.

After imparting instructions to Janaka about Brahman in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Yajnavalkya assured him, 'You have attained That which is free from fear.' This is what the Upanishads reassures every youth. The knowledge of the Self, that of our real core, surely leads to boundless courage and confidence and this is what the youth can get in the Upanishads in abundance.