For Eternal Beginners
देव द्विज गुरु प्राज्ञ पूजनम् शौचम् आर्जवम् ।
ब्रह्मचर्यम् अहिंसा च शारीरम् तप उच्यते ॥ १४ ॥
deva dvija guru prAjJa pUjanam zaucam Arjavam |
brahmacaryam ahiMsA ca zArIram tapa ucyate || 14 ||
पूजनम् [pUjanam] Respecting देव [deva] the divine, द्विज [dvija] the student, गुरु [guru] the teacher प्रज्ञ [prajJa] and those who know; शौचम् [zaucam] being clean; आर्जवम् [Arjavam] being true to yourself; ब्रह्मचर्यम् [brahmacaryam] being immaculate; अहिंसा [ahiMsA] without the intention of causing harm उच्यते [ucyate] - these are called शरीरम् तपः [zarIram tapaH] the discipline of the body.
The discipline of the body is about respecting the divine, the student, the teacher and those who know.
It is about being physically clean - washing with water, for example.
It is about being true to yourself - when the actions of our body match our thoughts and belief. Being ‘immaculate’ is about being without the intention to cause harm. For example, an immaculate man would stay away from thoughts of enjoying women.