''Ataptatanū'' ( sa, अतप्ततनू) refers to someone who has not subjected himself to the heat of ''

tapas A tapa () is an appetizer or snack in Spanish cuisine. Tapas can be combined to make a full meal, and can be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as ''chopitos'', which are battered, fried baby squid, or patatas bravas). In so ...

''.

Etymology

''Ataptatanū'' derives from ''atapta'' () which means - 'not heated, cool' (from ''tapa'' () meaning 'to burn, heat up') and ''tanū'' () – means - 'body, the physical self'; therefore, ''ataptatanū'' literally means – 'he whose body or mass is not prepared in fire', 'raw'.

History and meaning

The compound word ''ataptatanū'' appears in the

mantra A mantra ( Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ...

s of the

Mandala 9 The ninth Mandala of the Rigveda, also called the Soma Mandala, has 114 hymns, entirely (although Griffith marks 9.5 as dedicated to the Apris) devoted to ', "Purifying Soma", the sacred potion of the Vedic religion. Similar to Mandala 8, it c ...

of the

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts ('' śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one ...

. In a sukta addressed to ''Pavmāna Somo Devatā'', Rishi Pavitra prays: In this mantra, ''ataptatanūh'', refers to the one who has not subjected himself to the heat of ''tapas'', ''tadāmah'' refers to one who is raw and who therefore, ''aśnute'' - cannot experience the highest bliss because his body is not yet properly prepared to receive the knowledge he seeks. In his

Satyarth Prakash ''Satyarth Prakash'' ( hi, सत्यार्थ प्रकाश, ' – "The Light of Meaning of the Truth" or ''The Light of Truth'') is an 1875 book written originally in Hindi by Dayanand Saraswati (Swami Dayanand), an influential religi ...

(Light of Truth), Swami Dayananda Saraswati explains that ''tapas'' does not refer to branding one's body with literal fire, and this is also clarified by Rishi Pavitra in the subsequent mantra which reads: ''

Tapas A tapa () is an appetizer or snack in Spanish cuisine. Tapas can be combined to make a full meal, and can be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as ''chopitos'', which are battered, fried baby squid, or patatas bravas). In so ...

'' (or ''tapasya'') is practical discipline; according to the Bhagavada Gita (17.14). "Worship of

god In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

s, the

twice-born Dvija (Sanskrit: द्विज) means "twice-born" in ancient Indian Sanskrit. The concept is premised on the belief that a person is first born physically and at a later date is born for a second time spiritually, usually when he undergoes the ...

, one's elders, the

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

s, and the wise men,

purity Purity may refer to: Books * ''Pureza'' (novel), a 1937 Brazilian novel by José Lins do Rego * ''Purity'' (novel), a 2015 novel by Jonathan Franzen ** ''Purity'' (TV series), a TV series based on the novel *''Purity'', a 2012 novel by Jackson P ...

, straightness of conduct,

chastity Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains either from sexual activity considered immoral or any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for example when ma ...

, and non-violence: these are the ''tapasya'' of the body. The finishing phase of a scholar's higher education was called ''tapasya'' in the time of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

considered ''tapasya'' to be the test of love, '' ahimsa'', self-suffering, and self-sacrifice, which are essential in the quest for truth. Accordingly, ''ataptatanū'' refers to someone who has not yet experienced such practical discipline.

References

Bibliography

* {{Indian philosophy, state=collapsed Vedanta Sanskrit words and phrases Hindu philosophical concepts Buddhist philosophical concepts Jain philosophical concepts Yoga concepts