Yes, this is the command given to Lord Brahma for the creation. He must engage in tapah to get the knowledge and power for the creation. Tapas means to energise by concentration. In simple terms, Brahma is given the command by the Divine Sacchidananda, from whom the Trinity emerged, to concentrate their energies. Before the command is given, the Bhagwatam describes Brahma as going everywhere in search of the Lord or his origin. In other words, Brahma ji is expanding endlessly as Space. Then he receives the command of Tapah, Tapah, which means concentrate instead of spreading out. He then meditates for many, many years until all his Consciousness is ingathered becoming more and more powerful. Then the creation is released from him, or rather through him. This energy or power contains within it all the knowledge for the creation. It is a state of consciousness in which all its power of endless expansion concentrates into a single point and then, as a result, explodes bursting into countless stars and galaxies. This is how modern physics also describes creation, except that it envisages the point of extreme concentration of energy before it bursts forth as a purely material process. But it has no clue how and why the concentration came about because modern physics knows only jadaprakriti, unconscious matter. Hence it wonders how come thought, intelligence, consciousness emerges out of it. The Bhagawat explains this missing side. Sri Aurobindo uses the word involution to describe this extreme concentration to the point of self-oblivion.
In fact, tapah or tapas as an ‘ingathering of all our dispersed energies’ is always the process of any new emergence, including the birth of the spiritual consciousness. A dispersed, distracted mind spread out and scattered cannot give birth to the higher consciousness out of itself or emerge into it. It must gather all the energies and learn to concentrate, whether through bhakti, karmayoga or meditation for the birth of the spiritual consciousness within. Even a creative artist does the same, gathers his energies upon the work at hand and then start releasing the knowledge and power in the direction it is willed.
In essence, tapasya is willed concentration of all our energies towards whatever result we seek to bring about.
There are other interesting connected stories, but that can be for later.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
