Day 57 

There are three other sections of tapas - the bodily tapas, the tapas of the speech, and the tapas of the mind. Bodily tapas is maintaining physical hygiene, avoiding lethargy, having control over the five senses, etc. You may want to watch the television, but you do not. You are not hungry and you just do not eat even if you want to. 

Physical tapas is maintaining personal hygiene and continence, remaining in the Self and having a control over the senses and the body and then, there is tapas of the speech. This is saying only such things that do not distress people - speaking the truth and speaking the pleasant truth. 

Make a note of what you tell people when you are with them, what do you talk about? Do you excite them and do they leave you feeling relieved and at peace or do they leave you feeling angry, jealous, greedy, frustrated or depressed? Often, you are a better person when you are silent. You are more charming and likeable. You will be wanted more. 

However, you may have no control over what you say and words just come shooting out of your mouth. You may not even think about their effects, how they can be like daggers in somebody's mind. Your words can become a flower or a knife. Vangmaya Tapas - those words that do not ruffle people's calm and quiet mind. 

It is different if you want to intentionally disturb another person. But often, what you say creates a disturbance in other’s minds and it is unintentional. This is Vangmaya Tapas. Those who speak harshly feel that they are saying truth. 

They feel that there is no need to skirt the truth. However, what is said can be pleasant expressions of truth. An example is often given in Sanskrit. If you meet someone who is blind, you can call him to you by addressing him as one. Granted, it a truth that you are saying. But doing so can greatly hurt the person. Instead you can address him as Prajnachakshu. 

This implies his third eye which is his consciousness. In Sanskrit, this is often quoted as an example of speaking sweetly - calling a blind person a man of consciousness or someone who sees with his third eye of consciousness - someone with intuitive eyes. This is Vangmaya tapas.

Vangmaya Tapas is important because as you grow in this path of Yoga - your words become more, and more, and more powerful. You may call someone a fool. And, even if he is not a fool, he will become as curse. Vangmaya Tapas purifies you. 

Otherwise those things rebound back to you. If you speak harshly, your words will affect you adversely. This does not mean that you should ever be goody-goody. That is also self-deception. You do not have to be a split personality, be outwardly nice and cordial and be just the opposite inside. Then again, you don't need to be a harsh expresser of truth. This is Vangmaya Tapas.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 

PATANJALI YOGA SUTRAS