Chapter XVII · Śloka 14
Śrī Kṛṣṇa uvāca
देवद्विजगुरुप्राज्ञपूजनं शौचमार्जवम् |
ब्रह्मचर्यमहिंसा च शारीरं तप उच्यते ||
ब्रह्मचर्यमहिंसा च शारीरं तप उच्यते ||
deva-dvija-guru-prājña-pūjanaṃ śaucam ārjavam |
brahmacarya m ahiṃsā ca śārīraṃ tapa ucyate ||
brahmacarya m ahiṃsā ca śārīraṃ tapa ucyate ||
Worship of the gods, the twice-born, the teachers, and the wise; purity, straightforwardness, celibacy, and non-violence — these are called the austerity of the body.
Bodily tapas is not self-mortification but the disciplined orientation of physical life toward the sacred: reverence in conduct, cleanliness, honesty in bearing, restraint of appetite, harmlessness in action. The body itself becomes an instrument of worship.