Tapasvis and tapasvinis in Ramayanam

Worldly or spiritual, for any achievement, tapas is the noblest method. It boosts the potentials of the performer and fetches material riches and other desired fruits. It is also a path to salvation to the aspirers.

Ramayanam has plenty of tales of vows and austerities. The whole epic glorifies the greatness of penance and nobility. There are many instances where men and women undertook hard religious vows and austerities. A few examples may be seen. 

The epic commences with the adjective iÉmÉxxuÉÉkrÉÉrÉÌlÉUiÉÈ in praise of sage Narada. (one who is engrossed in penance & study). Balakanda refers to Lord Vishnu’s unparalleled penance. Great sages like Valmiki, Narada, Bharadwaja, Vishwamitra etc. are specially acclaimed for their extraordinary Tapasya. Brief accounts of the austere persons like Athri, Bharadwaja, Parashurama, Gautama, Matanga, Pulastya, Vasishta, Vibheeshana and many others are described in this epic. Ramayanam also describes austere women like Shabari, Satyavati, Arundhati, Vedavati, Anjana, Swayamprabha etc who earned great merits and powers through penance. Adjectives like Suvrata, samshitavrata, Drudhavrata, krutavrata, tapodhana, tapoviharah etc are referred in plenty.

Vows fetch great merits and fruits. Lord Indra is considered as Shatakrt or the one who performed a hundred glorious Yagas. It was this penance that won him the throne of heavens. Dasaratha obtained worthy sons like Rama after performing the putrakamestiyaga. A royal sage named Kushanatha also performed the Putrakameshti to obtain a meritorious son. Great yajnas were performed by sages and patronized by rulers for universal welfare. 

The great sage Rishyashringa was on the vow of brahmacharyavrata (vow of continence) for long years. It is said that he was even unaware of the existence of the women species! As a result, when he was led into the drought stricken kingdom of Dasaratha, it rained immediately! Such was the power of his continence. He led a great Yajna lasting 12 years for king Dasharatha.

There are examples of even demons undertaking austerities. But their motives were selfish and evil. The rigorous austerities of the demons Ravana, Kumbhakarna, Maricha, Indrajit, Maya, etc, were of this type. Ravana went to the extent of offering his heads one by one in sacrifice to obtain boons of his choice. Demons performed austerities desiring invincibility, prosperity, occult powers, immortality, etc. The demon heroes Maya and Indrajit are said to have acquired powers of black magic through terrible penances.

A rare few also undertake penance purely for spiritual elevation. Sage Chuli is said to have performed the Brahmatapah through meditation for long years. His was a selfless penance desiring nothing but spiritual realization. His son imbibed his father’s great powers and performed similar austerities.

Sages Suteeksna and Sharabhanga were among those few who were least interested in the great merits and fruits of their penance and preferred pure salvation instead. 

The Aranyakanda narrates the story of sage Madakarni who performed a terrible vow by consuming only air for ten-thousand long years on the banks of the lake Panchapsara. A notable variety of austere vows are accounted in the Aranyakandam. Rama visits hermitages in the different parts of the forests where he witnesses different types of sages performing amazing austerities. Among them were- uÉæZÉÉlÉxÉÉÈ (the descendants of the creator’s nail), uÉÉsÉÎZÉsrÉÉÈ (descendants of brahma’s hair), etc. Some of them undertook strange and tough vows. They are identified by names that refer to their vows. The nature of vows suggests the hardship involved and the heroic will necessary to fulfil them. Sages performing various tough vows are enlisted as follows- xÉqmÉë¤ÉÉsÉÉÈ, those who ‘wash their vessels after food’ i.e. they do not store food for the next meal, qÉUÏÍcÉmÉÉÈ, those who exist merely on the rays of the sun and moon, AzqÉMÑüûÉÈ, those who eat only raw rice by crushing it with stones, mɧÉÉWûÉUÉÈ, those who eat only leaves, SliÉÉåsÉÔZÉÍsÉlÉÈ, those who use their teeth like the mortar i.e. they eat uncooked food, ElqÉ‹MüÉÈ, those who perform penance standing neck-deep in waters, aÉɧÉzÉrrÉÉÈ, those who use their bodies as beds i. e use their arms as pillows, AzÉrrÉÉÈ, those who never use bedding material to sleep, AlÉuÉMüÉÍzÉMüÉÈ, those who never have free time due to continuous service errands,  xÉÍsÉsÉÉWûÉUÉÈ, those who live by intake of merely water only, uÉÉrÉÑpɤÉÉÈ, those who live on only air, AÉMüÉzÉÌlÉsÉrÉÉÈ, those who live in open fields, xjÉÎlQûsÉzÉÉÌrÉlÉÈ, those who sleep on platforms i.e they reside permanently in the altars, FkuÉïuÉÉÍxÉlÉÈ, those who live on the peaks of hills, SÉliÉÉÈ, those who exercise complete self control, AÉSìïmÉOûuÉÉxÉÉÈ, those who always wear wet clothing, xÉeÉmÉÉÈ, those who always chant, iÉmÉÉåÌlɸÉÈ, those who are always engrossed in penance and divine thoughts, mÉgcÉÉÎalÉxÉåuÉÉÈ, those who practice the pancagni tapas during summer i. e sitting amidst pyres of fire on all four sides and the blazing sun above. The descriptions enthral us isn’t it?

The path of penance is not an easy one. The tendency to fall from ideals is natural for many a performer. But perseverance and sincerity can always put him back on track and lead him to the goal. The audacious King Kaushika evolved into Sage Vishwamitra through such extraordinary austerities. Vishwamitra repeatedly wasted his hard-earned powers by getting distracted from his penance on different occasions. But with repentance and determination and by practicing greater vows and penances, he regained them back each time. Viçwämitra finally became a brahmarshi through penance.  

Sometimes vows or austerities may also be expiations for past sins as seen in the Ramayanam. Ahalya, the wife of Sage Gautama, performed a rigorous expiation in isolation, by consuming only air for long years. Mareeca, though a demon, repented for his misdeeds and took to the life of an ascetic in the jungles. King Sagara’s descendant Bhagiratha performed heroic penance in order to atone for the sins of his deceased fore fathers and finally revived their lives by bringing down to earth the celestial river Ganga.

Tapasya is claimed as the noblest approach to any achievement. Penance gives a sense of fulfilment to life. It purifies and elevates him both spiritually and otherwise. The plenty of tales in Ramayanam seem to give out this message to us.