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<p class="C1">&#65279TAP&#256 (lit. a practitioner of physical austerities) is the name given by Sikh chroniclers to an ascetic who once came to Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s and, proud of the penances he had undergone, said, "Thy Sikhs are very proud; they acknowledge not the Vedas and the Pur&#257&#7751as; they make no pilgrimages; nor do they fast or observe the <i>varn&#257&#347rama dharma</i> or distinctions of caste. Thy Sikhs only reverence thee and recognize thy compositions. Their adoration is confined to the utterance of V&#257higur&#363. I see no religious disposition in them whatsoever. However will they attain the comfort of heaven ?" Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s, says the <i>Mahim&#257 Prak&#257sh</i>, said, "Thou dost not know the comfort of <i>s&#257dh sa&#7749gat</i>, fellowship of the holy. Pious fellowship is what Sikhs seek. They desire not heaven. You are proud of your penances and pilgrimages. Sikhs derive comfort from serving others with humility:" The Tap&#257 fell at the Gur&#363's feet and took his precept.</p>
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BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Bhall&#257, Sar&#363p D&#257s, <i>Mahim&#257 Prak&#257sh</i>. Patiala,1971<BR>
<li class="C1"> Santokh Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth</i>. Amritsar, 1927-35<BR>
<li class="C1"> Macauliffe, Max Arthur, <i>The Sikh Religion : Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors</i>. Oxford, 1909<BR>
</ol><p class="CONT">Gurdev Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR>
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