deva-dvija-guru-prājña-pūjanaṁ śaucam ārjavam brahmacaryam ahiṁsā ca śārīraṁ tapa ucyate
"Worship of the gods, the twice-born, teachers, and the wise; purity, straightforwardness, celibacy, and non-violence—this is called austerity of the body."
What This Means:
Physical austerity includes: worshipping divine beings, respecting teachers and wise ones, maintaining cleanliness, being straightforward, practicing sexual restraint, and not harming others.
Going Deeper:
Bodily austerity (śārīra tapas): (1) pūjana of devas (gods), dvijas (learned), gurus (teachers), prājñas (wise)—proper reverence, (2) śauca—purity/cleanliness, (3) ārjava—straightforwardness, (4) brahmacarya—celibacy/sexual restraint, (5) ahiṁsā—non-violence. These are tapas of the body—disciplining physical behavior.
How To Apply This:
Physical discipline includes how you treat others (reverence, non-harm), how you treat yourself (purity, restraint), and how you move through the world (straightforwardly). These form the foundation of spiritual practice.
Key Sanskrit Terms: