Knowledge Is Power

Today we will look at the meaning of the divya nama महातपाः and look at the role of occult powers in spirituality.

महातपाः
Mundakopanishad says
यः सर्वज्ञः सर्वविद् यस्य ज्ञानमयं तपः।
तस्मादेतद् ब्रह्म नाम रूपमन्नं च जायते।
यस्य ज्ञानमयं तप॥
The tapas that he stands for is knowledge, true knowledge, real knowledge.
What is the purpose of tapas?
तपोभिः प्राप्यतेऽभीष्टं नासाध्यं हि तपस्यतः।
To achieve anything and everything that you want.
There is nothing that can not be achieved through tapas.
But what Bhagavan gives is not mystical powers to bless or curse as a result of doing tapas.
What Bhagavan gives is knowledge.
The greatest reward.
That is why his method is the greatest and he is महातपाः।
तपसा विन्दते महत्- Everything great can be achieved through knowledge.
Obviously even for using a mobile phone you should have knowledge.
There are still people who can not use a mobile phone or make use of only a small percentage of what all you can do with a mobile phone.
That is because they have not bothered to acquire the required knowledge.
Knowledge is power.
Knowledge makes you powerful.
You may have Mercedes Benz with you.
But you should have the knowledge to drive it.
Knowledge is most important.
As your knowledge grows your power also grows.
Someday he will bless you with all knowledge and you can become all powerful like him.
षड्गुणाः व्याख्यास्यन्ते तेषु ज्ञानबले संकर्षणस्य गुणौ व्यूढौ।
ज्ञानं च प्राचीनभव परिश्रान्ति शान्तये संजिहीर्षा लक्षणं अत्र।
Out of the six gunas of Bhagavan, knowledge and strength are associated with his aspect called Sankarshana in the Chaturvyuha.
The purpose of knowledge is to give relief to people who have been suffering from time immemorial.
As your knowledge grows your troubles go on reducing.

Many people think that sadhana in Hinduism is about developing occult powers.
One of the reasons for this is because some very popular books on yoga talk about these occult powers.
The same books caution also about not going after these occult powers.
Power to foresee the future, read others minds, time travel.
These are natural when you progress in the spiritual path, as you grow.
They are there for sure.
You are going to a tourist place to enjoy.
Let's say Kullu-Manali.
You are driving.
Kullu-Manali is your destination.
On the way you see a movie hall.
You stop and watch a good movie, enjoy.
That's fine.
But you don't spend the rest of your life there watching show after show every day.
Your destination is Kullu-Manali.
That you shouldn't forget.
Scriptures talk about these powers only as signs of your progress.
They are milestones.
A milestone is only to show you how far away is your destination.
When you see a milestone you don't stop and build your life around that, ok let me put a tea stall here, so many people travel through here, I can make a living.
That's not the purpose.
This is not Hinduism, this is not what Sanatana Dharma is for.
Yamunacharya makes it clear.
Narayana is Brahman because he is the highest, the greatest and he has the power to make others also the greatest.
There is a king.
He can make you his minister or a commander.
But you will never be equal to him.
Here is a God who is ready to make you equal to him.
He doesn't feel insecure about doing that.
He is Brahman and he can make you also Brahman.
Meaning allows you to merge into him.
Of course, through stages like sarupya, salokya.
Hinduism tells you to aspire for this position, the highest position.
Not something as silly or as petty as curing somebody's headache.
That is the job of medicines, that is the job of doctors.
That is not what spirituality is for.
People may appreciate you.
You will feel great, they will say: he is very powerful.
But you are harming yourself spiritually.
Unless of course you have consciously chosen it as your livelihood.
Don't get excited about developing these mystical powers.
I have got intuitive powers.
Everybody has intuitive powers.
Some notice them, some do not, that's the only difference.
You will notice when your mind is less cluttered.
When Bhagavan came to know that injustice was being done to the Pandavas, he didn't use his Sudrshana chakra and kill all the Kauravas.
He said: fight, I will show you how to fight.
He didn't use his omnipotence to solve their problem.
It's your fight, you have to fight it.
I can give you some directions.
Some useful tips I can give you.
Some course correction I can do for you.
But there is no substitute for effort.
So don't think that by doing sadhana suddenly you will attract wealth or fame or position.
It may happen, that's a different issue.
But that is not the purpose of sadhana.
That is just a milestone to show your position and progress.

• Why is Vishnu called Mahatapa if tapas is usually seen as physical austerity?
  Because his tapas is pure knowledge. Not about starving or torturing the body, but the supreme awareness that brings clarity and power. Chanting his names aligns the mind to this higher tapas, where wisdom itself becomes strength.

• If knowledge is the real tapas, what place do occult powers have?
  They appear naturally when the mind is purified, but they are like milestones on a highway. Useful to notice, not to settle at. Nama japa keeps you from getting trapped by these side-attractions and keeps you moving toward union with him.

• Does focusing on mystical powers harm family and personal life?
  Yes, because it feeds ego and detaches you from real duties. Instead, chanting Vishnu Sahasranama cultivates humility, stability, and patience, making you a better parent, partner, and protector of your family.

• How does knowledge through Vishnu’s grace reduce suffering?
  When ignorance is removed, fear reduces. Much of daily stress, quarrels at home, even health decline come from confusion and wrong choices. Bhakti-driven knowledge gives calm decision-making. That calmness itself heals and nurtures relationships.

• Is it wrong to desire wealth or health through sadhana?
  Not wrong, but incomplete. True bhakti accepts such blessings if they come, yet stays fixed on the greater goal: merging with the Lord. Nama japa provides inner wealth that outlasts money and strength that outlasts the body.

• What makes Vishnu unique compared to kings or other powers?
  A king may elevate you, but never make you equal to him. Vishnu, through bhakti and constant remembrance of his names, raises you to share in his own divinity. That generosity of power is his true glory.

• How does this teaching apply to practical life, like using technology or modern tools?
  Just as you cannot use a mobile phone fully without learning, you cannot use life without spiritual knowledge. Chanting his names daily trains your mind to see clearly, act wisely, and handle tools and opportunities with balance.

• Why is effort still necessary if Bhagavan is all-powerful?
  Because he wants us to grow, not to remain dependent. Just as he guided the Pandavas in battle rather than fighting for them, he guides us through nama japa. The effort makes the victory real and lasting. 

• Isn't tapas just self-torture? Why glorify it?
  No. Tapas literally means focused effort. The Upanishads say Bhagavan’s tapas is knowledge itself, not starving or sitting in fire. Real tapas is disciplined learning that expands awareness, not punishing the body.
• If knowledge is power, why bring God into it? Can’t science alone do the job?
  Science is a form of knowledge, but limited to matter and observation. Bhagavan’s gift of knowledge is about the knower himself — awareness, consciousness, the capacity to be free from suffering. Science explains the car; spirituality teaches who is driving and why.
• You said anything can be achieved through tapas. Then why don’t people just tap into it and get rich or famous?
  Because tapas is not a vending machine. Effort aligned with truth produces growth. Running after wealth or fame is like stopping at a milestone and thinking that’s the destination. The real aim is freedom from ignorance, not piling up possessions.
• Occult powers — reading minds, seeing the future — are they real or superstition?
  They are real as by-products of a deeply focused mind. But they are distractions. Just like road signs on the highway, they show progress but are not the destination. To build your life around them is missing the point of the journey.
• Why dismiss healing powers? If someone cures a disease, isn’t that valuable?
  Yes, curing is valuable — but that’s medicine’s domain. Spirituality is about curing the deeper disease of ignorance and endless cycles of suffering. Mixing them confuses purpose. One heals the body, the other liberates the soul.
• If Bhagavan is all-powerful, why did he not just destroy the Kauravas with one stroke? Why ask Pandavas to fight?
  Because his goal was not quick fixes but to teach dharma. Power without participation produces dependence. He showed that effort, guided by wisdom, is what transforms. Even the Pandavas had to earn their victory through action.
• Isn’t merging with God just a fancy way of saying you lose individuality? Why would anyone want that?
  Merging doesn’t erase; it fulfills. Just as a drop joining the ocean doesn’t vanish but becomes vast, the individual self expands into limitless bliss. You don’t shrink; you become greater than you can ever imagine.
• So in the end, isn’t all this just belief, while science gives proof?
  Science gives proof in the outer world; spirituality gives proof in inner experience. You can measure a chemical reaction, but you also know the taste of sweetness directly. Spiritual truths are verified the same way — by direct inner realization.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi