Devanagari
अभीक्ष्णावगाहकपिशान्जटिलान्कुटिलालकान् ।
आत्मानं चोग्रतपसा बिभ्रती चीरिणं कृशम् ॥ १४ ॥
Verse text
abhīkṣṇāvagāha-kapiśān
jaṭilān kuṭilālakān
ātmānaṁ cogra-tapasā
bibhratī cīriṇaṁ kṛśam
Synonyms
abhīkṣṇa
—
again and again
;
avagāha
—
by bathing
;
kapiśān
—
gray
;
jaṭilān
—
matted
;
kuṭila
—
curled
;
alakān
—
hair
;
ātmānam
—
her body
;
ca
—
and
;
ugra
—
tapasā — by severe austerities
;
bibhratī
—
became
;
cīriṇam
—
clothed in rags
;
kṛśam
—
thin .
Translation
She began to bathe three times daily, and thus her curling black hair gradually became gray. Due to austerity, her body gradually became thin, and she wore old garments.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Her locks of hair became matted and grey from repeated bathing. Her body, clothed in rags, became thin because of severe austerities.
She took bath three times a day. Her hair became matted. And her body (ātmānam) was clothed in rags (cīriṇam).
Purport
It is the practice of the
yogī, brahmacārī, vānaprastha
and
sannyāsī
to bathe at least three times daily — early in the morning, during noontime and in the evening. These principles are strictly followed even by some
gṛhasthas,
especially
brāhmaṇas,
who are elevated in spiritual consciousness. Devahūti was a king’s daughter and almost a king’s wife also. Although Kardama Muni was not a king, by his yogic mystic power he accommodated Devahūti very comfortably in a nice palace with maidservants and all opulence. But since she had learned austerity even in the presence of her husband, there was no difficulty for her to be austere. Still, because her body underwent severe austerity after the departure of her husband and son, she became thin. To be too fat is not very good for spiritually advanced life. Rather, one should reduce because if one becomes fat it is an impediment to progress in spiritual understanding. One should be careful not to eat too much, sleep too much or remain in a comfortable position. Voluntarily accepting some penances and difficulties, one should take less food and less sleep. These are the procedures for practicing any kind of
yoga,
whether
bhakti-yoga, jṣāna-yoga
or
haṭha-yoga.