What are tapas (penances)?
The Pandit continued: “Since Parvati could not win Shiva through the attractions of her beautiful body, she had to try and win him through the beauty of her soul, which is much more important to any good husband. Parvati decided to show Shiva her devotion by doing tapas, as she had done already as a child but she determined to do them more intensively now.” “What are tapas?” asked Yamuna. “Oh dear,” thought the Pandit, “will this girl never stop asking questions? How do I answer this one now?” “My dear,” said the Pandit, “tapas are exercises which help people to think more of God and less of the body and less of having fun in other ways. God loves people who do tapas and rewards them, or, to put it differently, they do not need rewarding because tapas are also useful in many practical ways.” “Do people still do tapas today?” “Yes, many people fast regularly on one day every week, depending on which is their favourite god. For example, on Monday for Lord Shiva, on Wednesday for Lord Vis
