(“heat”) Term for any kind of physical asceticism, or what was formerly known as "mortification of the flesh."
Fasting (upavasa) and celibacy, as well as rituals of
enduring physical agony, such as the "five flames" (panchagni) rite,
are all included in the word tapas.
During this ceremony, a person sits in the hot season,
surrounded by four flames, with the sun above representing the fifth fire.
Other ceremonies include suffering cold through bathing
(snana) in snow-fed rivers, as well as enduring any kind of bodily hardship.
Tapas may also refer to strange and even masochistic habits
such as standing for years on end; holding an arm lifted until the muscles
atrophy and it can no longer be lowered; resting on thorn and nail beds, and so
forth.
All of these activities are based on the notion that they
produce spiritual strength (which is referred to as "heat"), and that
a person who develops and accumulates enough of this force would attain
supernormal abilities or the capacity to demand boons from the gods themselves.
Even while many modern Hindus are wary of and condemn
extreme practices, there is still a huge cultural regard for ascetic
self-control, and when paired with the appropriate personality, such activities
may give significant religious power.
In Hindu mythology, Indra, the god-king, keeps a watchful
eye on individuals who accumulate such abilities in order to safeguard himself
from being supplanted by someone more powerful.
Because of the "heat" created by the tapas,
Indra's celestial throne gets heated when an ascetic begins to collect enough
strength to unseat him.
Indra must locate the aspirant and defuse the force in one
of two ways: by bestowing a blessing on the aspirant, which is often the
motivation for doing the tapas in the first place, or by sending a heavenly
nymph (apsara) to seduce the ascetic, whose power will be released along with
his semen.
This legend represents the core Hindu notion that celibacy,
which conserves a man's vital energy by conserving his sperm, is the beginning
point for ascetic strength.