deva-dvija-guru-prājña-
pūjanaḿ śaucam ārjavam
brahmacaryam ahiḿsā ca
śārīraḿ tapa ucyate
Translation of Bhagavad Gita 17.14
Austerity of the body consists in worship of the Supreme Lord, the brahmanas, the spiritual master, and superiors like the father and mother, and in cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy and nonviolence.
Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
The Supreme Godhead here explains the different kinds of austerity and penance. First He explains the austerities and penances practiced by the body. One should offer, or learn to offer, respect to God or to the demigods, the perfect, qualified brahmanas and the spiritual master and superiors like father, mother or any person who is conversant with Vedic knowledge. These should be given proper respect. One should practice cleansing oneself externally and internally, and he should learn to become simple in behavior. He should not do anything which is not sanctioned by the scriptural injunctions. He should not indulge in sex outside of married life, for sex is sanctioned in the scripture only in marriage, not otherwise. This is called celibacy. These are penances and austerities as far as the body is concerned.
Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
Speaking of three types of austerity, first the Lord speaks of three types of sattvika austerity in three verses.
Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:
17.14 The worship of the gods, the twice-born, preceptors and enlightened ones; purity, viz., by ablutions in sacred water; uprightness, viz., bodily action in accordance with the mind; continence, viz., absence of looking at women etc., considering them as objcts of pleasure; non-injury, viz., not hurting any being — these constitute the austerity of the body.
Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:
Tapah or austerities of the physical body in sattva guna or mode of goodness are worship of the Supreme Lord Krishna or any of His authorized incarnations and expansions as reveled in Vedic scriptures. Worship of the diksa guru the initiating Vaisnava spiritual master and the siksa guru the instructing Vaisnava spiritual master and worship of the brahmanas. External and internal cleanliness, celibacy and nonviolence also are included in sattva guna.
Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:
Sri Madhvacharya did not comment on this sloka.
Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:
Now in order to introduce the threefold divisions of austerities Lord Krishna commences with austerities which can be performed by the physical body, verbal speech as well as the mind. The worship of the Supreme Lord Krishna the origin of all creation and any of His authorised incarnations and expansions as revealed in Vedic scriptures who each far excels every other god imaginable such as Brahma and Shiva, as well as far excelling all other gods of other conceptions collectively combined are pre-eminent austerities in sattva guna the mode of goodness. Worship of the Vaisnavas and brahmanas, worship of the diksa guru the initiating spiritual master and the siksa guru the instructing spiritual master, who dispel the darkness of ignorance by revealing the eternal, spiritual truths applicable to all existences in all times and external and internal cleanliness are all in sattva guna the mode of goodness. Arjavam is acting without duplicity in thought, word or deed. Brahmacaryam is celibacy which is abstinence from all sexual activities. The Agni Purana: CCCLXX.IX.XI specifically refers to the eightfold forms of celibacy which is abstinence from all sexual activity and includes: thinking about it, talking about it, suggestively insinuating it, watching others engaging in it, affirming desire for it, wooing another for it, meeting in private for it and finally engaging oneself in it. Ahimsa is non-violence to any creature by thought, word and deed. The particle ca stands to include non-cheating and non- stealing. etc. All these activities are situated in sattva guna the mode of goodness.
Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:
17.14 Deva-dvija-guru-pujanam, the worship of gods, twice-borns, venerable persons and the wise; saucam, purity; arjavam, straightforwardness; brahmacarayam, celibacy; and ahimsa, non-injury; ucyate, are said to be; sariram, bodily; tapah, austerity, austerity accomplished through the body: that which can be performed by the agent, etc. [See 18. 13-15.-Tr.], (i.e.) with the whole group of body and organs, in which the body predominates; for the Lord will say, ‘these five are its causes’ (18.15).
Commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta of Kaula Tantra Sampradaya:
17.14-16 Deva – etc. upto manasam ucyate : Honesty : uprightness, i.e., the courage regarding what needs no hiding. Which is true : This is explained by ‘Which is pleasant and beneficial’. Pleasant : at the time of [hearing] that speech. And beneficial : something in future. This type of speech, but not merely speaking what actually happened, is called ‘speaking the truth’. Purity of thought : ‘Thought’ denotes intention; its highest purity.
Sanskrit Shloka Without Transliteration Marks:
deva-dvija-guru-prajña-
pujanam saucam arjavam
brahmacaryam ahimsa ca
sariram tapa ucyate
Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings:
deva — of the Supreme Lord; dvija — the brāhmaṇas; guru — the spiritual master; prājña — and worshipable personalities; pūjanam — worship; śaucam — cleanliness; ārjavam — simplicity; brahmacaryam — celibacy; ahiḿsā — nonviolence; ca — also; śārīram — pertaining to the body; tapaḥ — austerity; ucyate — is said to be.
