Acharya Prashant explains that the word 'Tapas' comes from 'tap', which means to burn. Therefore, 'Tapas' is the act of burning away everything that is not worth saving. To live such a life is 'Tapascharya'. He contrasts this with 'Brahmacharya', stating that what you call 'Tapascharya' from the end of the ego, you call 'Brahmacharya' from the end of Brahman. In reality, 'Tapascharya' is a more precise and useful word than 'Brahmacharya' because the latter can increase the ego. He advises that before you practice conduct in Brahman, you should first practice conduct in fire, meaning you should burn. He questions if one is even capable of practicing conduct in Brahman at this stage. The process of 'Tapas' is to look at yourself, and within yourself, whatever you find that obstructs your consciousness and stops it from rising, you must incinerate it. When all that is erased, what remains is called Brahman. 'Tapas' means to see oneself and to burn away everything within that obstructs consciousness and prevents it from rising. Within you is the consciousness that wants to touch the sky, and also within you are all the bondages that stop it from rising. The meaning of 'Tapascharya' is to burn all the ropes that have held the consciousness, to melt the shackles. Acharya Prashant dismisses the common misconception of a sage sitting under a tree with closed eyes for hundreds of years, after which God appears and grants a boon. He clarifies that 'Tapas' is an internal work for one's own purification, not for attaining something from an external God. He calls such stories childish and urges the listener to grow up and talk like an adult. The work of 'Tapas' is internal. It is not about sitting in a jungle with eyes closed; one has to work on oneself in the midst of one's daily routine. He explains that within us, two things are present: the consciousness that wants to rise, which is the grace of God, and the bondages that hold it down, which is Maya. Our task is not to ask for grace, as it is already present in the form of the desire to rise. Our task is to cut the ropes of Maya. If grace were not present, we would all be like animals, concerned only with eating, drinking, and sleeping. The arts, sciences, and all higher pursuits are a result of this grace. Your work is only to do your part, and you will find that the second condition was never there. It is not a 50-50 deal where you do your part and God does the rest. You only have to do your work, and nothing else remains to be done.