देवद्विजगुरुप्राज्ञपूजनं शौचमार्जवम्।
ब्रह्मचर्यमहिंसा च शारीरं तप उच्यते।।17.14।।
17.14 The worship of gods, twice-borns, venerable persons and the wise; purity, straightforwardness, celibacy and non-injury,-are said to be bodily austerity.
17.14 Worship of the gods, the twice-born, the teachers and the wise, purity, straightforwardness, celibacy and non-injury are called the austerities of the body.
17.14. The worship to the gods, to the twice-born, to the elders and to the wise; the purity, the honesty, the state of continence, and the harmlessness-all this is said to be bodily austerity.
17.14 देवद्विजगुरुप्राज्ञपूजनम् worship of the gods? the twicorn? the teachers and the wise? शौचम् purity? आर्जवम् straightforwardness? ब्रह्मचर्यम् celibacy? अहिंसा noninjury? च and? शारीरम् of the body? तपः austerity? उच्यते is called.Commentary Tapas Austerity or selfdiscipline.Using the feet in pilgrimage to the sacred temples using the hands in cleaning the temples? in collecting the materials of worship of God? and in performing worship prostrations to the Brahmanas? preceptors and the wise continence and noninjury? constitute physical austerity. The body is used in the service of the parents and preceptors? the poor and the sick. This is also bodily austerity. That austerity which is done by the body is physical austerity. The physical body is the chief agent in doing such austerity. Hence this is called physical austerity. The practice of nonstealing and noncovetousness are also included in physical austerity.He who has realised I am Brahman is a wise man (Prajna). A Sudra also may be a wise man. Though Vidura was a Sudra he was a sage. That is the reason why the Lord has made a separate mention of the wise.Brahmacharya means control but not suppression of the sexdesire or sexforce. If the mind is filled with sublime thoughts by meditation? Japa (repetition of a Mantra)? prayer? study of holy scriptures? eniry of Who am I? and contemplation of the sexless? pure Self? the sexdesire will be devitalised by the withdrawal of the mind. The mind also will be thinned out. Suppressed sexdesire will attack you again and again and will produce wetdreams? irritability and restlessness of the mind. The mind should be rendered pure by meditation? Japa? singing of the Lords names? and prayer. The mind should be controlled first. Then it will be easy for you to control the senses. That is the reason why the practice of Sama or the control of the mind comes first and then comes Dama or the restraint of the senses (in the order of the sixfold virtues. The senses cannot operate without the help of the mind. So the effective remedy for lust and the best aid to celibacy is to control the mind first and then the senses.Intense musing on the objects of the senses does more harm to the inner spiritual life than actual sensegratification. If the mind is not rendered pure by Sadhana? mere mortification of the external senses will not produce the desired effect. Although the external senses are mortified? their internal counterparts which are still energetic and vigorous? revenge upon the mind? and produce intense mental disturbance and wild imagination.To control the mind is diffcult for neophytes or the beginners. It will be extremely difficult to control the mind first when the senses are allowed to run riot. That is the reason why Lord Krishna says Therefore? O Arjuna? mastering first the senses? do thou slay this thing of sin (desire)? destructive of wisdom and knowledge. (Cf.III.41)The theory or doctrine that the mind should be controlled first is ite correct. This practice is intended for the firstclass type of spiritual aspirants. The middling type of students should control the senses first. The senses always have an outgoing tendency. The mind operates through the senses. Control of the one goes hand in hand with control of the other. Control of the senses is also control of the mind? because the mind is a bundle of senses only there is no mind without the senses.Just as an enemy can be easily conered if you have a twopronged attack? so also the mind can be controlled easily if you attack it on two fronts simultaneously -- an external attack on the senses and an internal attack on the mind itself by the eradication of the desires.To say? Control the mind first? you can control the senses (which is one point of view) or Control the senses first? you can control the mind easily (which is another point of view) is simply arguing in a vicious circle like Which came first -- the tree or the seed or You will get the knowledge of the Self if you control all desires -- and you can control all the desires only if you have knowledge of the Self.You need not worry yourself over this seeming paradox. Try to do either of the practices? viz.? control of the mind or control of the senses? according to your liking? capacity? taste and temperament. You can yourself find out by actual practice which is better. As you advance in your practice your doubtwill gradually disapperar and you will enjoy supreme peace and joy.
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).
17.14 See Comment under 17.16
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.
Speaking of three types of austerity, first the Lord speaks of three types of sattvika austerity in three verses.
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..
Now in order to explain the three types of austerities incorporated in and corresponding to the three gunas or modes of material nature; Lord Krishna describes their character first as that of bodily austerity, that of verbal austerity and that of mental austerity from each of the three gunas from where tapas manifests. Worship of the Supreme Lord Krishna or any of His authorised incarnations and expansions in their installed deity forms after being duly initiated in the prescribed mantras by the Vaisnava spiritual master, worship of the Vaisnavas and brahmanas, worship of the singular diksa guru the initiating spiritual master and the elevated siksa gurus or instructing spiritual masters. The word saucam means internal and external cleanliness. Arjjavam means no duplicity, the intention of the mind and the action are not different. Brahmacaryam is celibacy the absence of thinking about engaging in sexual relations. Ahimsa is not causing harm to any living entity by thought, word or deed. All these activities constitute austerity of the physical body in sattva guna the mode of goodness.
Now in order to explain the three types of austerities incorporated in and corresponding to the three gunas or modes of material nature; Lord Krishna describes their character first as that of bodily austerity, that of verbal austerity and that of mental austerity from each of the three gunas from where tapas manifests. Worship of the Supreme Lord Krishna or any of His authorised incarnations and expansions in their installed deity forms after being duly initiated in the prescribed mantras by the Vaisnava spiritual master, worship of the Vaisnavas and brahmanas, worship of the singular diksa guru the initiating spiritual master and the elevated siksa gurus or instructing spiritual masters. The word saucam means internal and external cleanliness. Arjjavam means no duplicity, the intention of the mind and the action are not different. Brahmacaryam is celibacy the absence of thinking about engaging in sexual relations. Ahimsa is not causing harm to any living entity by thought, word or deed. All these activities constitute austerity of the physical body in sattva guna the mode of goodness.
Devadwijagurupraajna poojanam shauchamaarjavam; Brahmacharyamahimsaa cha shaareeram tapa uchyate.
deva—the Supreme Lord; dwija—the Brahmins; guru—the spiritual master; prājña—the elders; pūjanam—worship; śhaucham—cleanliness; ārjavam—simplicity; brahmacharyam—celibacy; ahinsā—non-violence; cha—and; śhārīram—of the body; tapaḥ—austerity; uchyate—is declared as
