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Chapter 17 · The Divisions of Faith · 28 verses

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Character & ethicsChapter 17 · The Divisions of Faith
17.1317.15

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 17.14

Austerities of body, speech and mind

देवद्विजगुरुप्राज्ञपूजनं शौचमार्जवम् ।

ब्रह्मचर्यमहिंसा च शारीरं तप उच्यते ॥ १४ ॥

deva-dvija-guru-prājña-

pūjanaṁ śaucam ārjavam

brahmacaryam ahiṁsā ca

śārīraṁ tapa ucyate

Translation

Austerity of the body consists in worship of the Supreme Lord, the brāhmaṇas, the spiritual master, and superiors like the father and mother, and in cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy and nonviolence.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

What this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.

Austerity of the Body

  1. 1Bodily austerity includes worship of the Supreme Lord, brāhmaṇas, the spiritual master and elders, along with cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy and nonviolence.
  2. 2Prabhupāda explains that cleanliness is both outer and inner, behavior should follow scripture, and celibacy means no sex outside marriage.
  3. 3Practice simple behavior and give proper respect to God, your spiritual master, your parents and those who know Vedic teachings.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 17, The Divisions of Faith: austerities of body, speech and mind.

What it teaches

Theme summary

Cultivate divine qualities in character.

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Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: daivī-sampat, dharma.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 17.14 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to character & ethics?

Practice

Choose one virtue to practice consciously today.

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The story behind it

Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.

All stories for chapter 17 ›
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Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 17.15Austerities of body, speech and mindBG 17.16Austerities of body, speech and mindBG 12.13Qualities of a devotee dear to KrishnaBG 16.21Lust, anger and greed lead toward degradation.

Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.

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Back to step 3The key ideasNext · Step 5 of 7 · 5 minLive the teachingsBring it into your day with a practice and a question, straight from Prabhupāda's purports.