A core teaching · grounding in mood · easy to enter
“The body itself can become a disciplined offering.”
Worship of the radiant beings, the wise, the teacher, and the enlightened; purity, simplicity, celibacy, and non-violence — these are called bodily austerity.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyradiant beings · twice-born · teacher · wise · worship · purity · simplicity · celibacy · non-violence · and · bodily · austerity · is called
True bodily discipline includes honoring wise teachers, staying clean, living simply, practicing self-restraint, and avoiding harm.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga" (The Three Kinds of Faith).
Verse 14 sits in Chapter 17 of the Bhagavad Gita — Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga, "The Three Kinds of Faith". The chapter has 28 verses in total.
A son who touches his teacher's feet, keeps his room clean, eats simply and never raises a hand in anger is practising what Krishna calls austerity of the body.
Did you like this verse?
Bodily tapas, Krishna says, means honouring gods, the wise and teachers, with purity, simplicity, celibacy and non-violence.
What this verse means
True bodily discipline includes honoring wise teachers, staying clean, living simply, practicing self-restraint, and avoiding harm.
Context & commentary
Krishna now explains that real discipline includes inner resolve and also shows up in bodily conduct: respect, cleanliness, simplicity, restraint, and non-harm.
What it looks like today
A son who touches his teacher's feet, keeps his room clean, eats simply and never raises a hand in anger is practising what Krishna calls austerity of the body.
“Spiritual discipline is not abstract. It begins with how you treat your body and other people.”
Explore related themes: tapas (22 verses)