Austerity / Ascetic Heat (Tapas)

Tapas literally means 'heat,' and it names the disciplined austerity by which a seeker burns away impurity and concentrates inner power. From the earliest Vedic hymns — where the cosmos itself is brooded into being through tapas — to the yogic observances, the principle is constant: voluntarily borne hardship, fasting, vigil, and self-restraint forge a refined and potent will. It is one of Patañjali's observances and a thread running through the whole ascetic side of the tradition.