Chapter 17, Verse 15
अनुद्वेगकरं वाक्यं सत्यं प्रियहितं च यत् | स्वाध्यायाभ्यसनं चैव वाङ्मयं तप उच्यते ||१७-१५||
anudvegakaraṃ vākyaṃ satyaṃ priyahitaṃ ca yat . svādhyāyābhyasanaṃ caiva vāṅmayaṃ tapa ucyate ||17-15||
Meaning
17.15 Speech which causes no excitement, truthful, pleasant and beneficial, the practice of the study of the Vedas, are called austerity of speech.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
The austerity of speech (vangmaya tapa) is one of the Gita's most practical teachings. Right speech is anudvega-karam — it does not agitate or wound — yet it is also satyam (truthful), priya (kind and pleasant), and hitam (genuinely beneficial). Held together, these qualities form a demanding discipline: to speak words that are at once true, gentle, and helpful, while also nourishing oneself through svadhyaya, the regular study of sacred texts.
The genius of this verse lies in its balance. It is easy to be honest but harsh, or kind but dishonest. Krishna asks for speech that harmonises truth with compassion — never sacrificing one for the other. Our words shape relationships, moods, and our own inner state. To govern the tongue is a real austerity, and one that touches every conversation. Disciplined, truthful, healing speech is a daily form of self-purification.
💡 Key Takeaway
Speak words that are truthful, kind, and genuinely helpful all at once — disciplining your speech is a daily spiritual practice.
Related Verses
अशास्त्रविहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपो जनाः | दम्भाहंकारसंयुक्ताः कामरागबलान्विताः ||१७-५||
aśāstravihitaṃ ghoraṃ tapyante ye tapo janāḥ . dambhāhaṃkārasaṃyuktāḥ kāmarāgabalānvitāḥ ||17-5||
17.5 Those men who practise terrific austerities not enjoined by the scriptures, given to hypocrisy and egoism, impelled by the force of lust and attachment.
कर्षयन्तः शरीरस्थं भूतग्राममचेतसः | मां चैवान्तःशरीरस्थं तान्विद्ध्यासुरनिश्चयान् ||१७-६||
karṣayantaḥ śarīrasthaṃ bhūtagrāmamacetasaḥ . māṃ caivāntaḥśarīrasthaṃ tānviddhyāsuraniścayān ||17-6||
17.6 Senseless, torturing all the elements in the body and Me also, Who dwell in the body, know thou these to be of demonical resolves.
देवद्विजगुरुप्राज्ञपूजनं शौचमार्जवम् | ब्रह्मचर्यमहिंसा च शारीरं तप उच्यते ||१७-१४||
devadvijaguruprājñapūjanaṃ śaucamārjavam . brahmacaryamahiṃsā ca śārīraṃ tapa ucyate ||17-14||
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.