Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 17

anudvekaram vaakyam satyam priyahitam cha yat |
svaadhyaayaabhyasanam chaiva vaangmayam tapa ucchyate || 15 ||
 
Those words that do not perturb others, that are true, pleasant and beneficial, and also the practice of recitation of scriptures, that is called the penance of speech.
 
anudvekaram : do not disturb others
vaakyam : words
satyam : true
priyahitam : pleasant and beneficial
cha : and
yat : those which
svaadhyaaya : recitation of scriptures
abhyasanam : practice
cha : and
eva : also
vaangmayam : speech
tapaha : penance
ucchyate : is called
 
Having described the penance of the body, Shri Krishna now describes penance of speech or vaangmaya tapa. He mentions four conditions of speech : that it should be true, it should be pleasant to hear, it should benefit the other person, and it should not cause any disturbance in the other person’s mind. Whenever we speak statements that fulfill all these four conditions, we are practicing penance of the mind. Putting it differently, we are not wasting or dissipating the energy of our speech when we speak like this.
 
Initially, we may think that satisfying even two or three of these conditions is impractical. However, speaking tactfully is a skill needed in our daily lives. For instance, what is true may not always be the most pleasant thing to convey. In the office, we have to deliver all kinds of messages to people without them losing face. Even in the home, while talking to spouse, just conveying information factually does not always work best. Therefore, putting thought into choosing our words carefully has practical as well as spiritual benefits.
 
Now, many of us have an urge to say something when we are by ourselves. Here, Shri Krishna suggests that we recite scriptures daily, like chanting the second chapter of the Gita, for instance. Doing so satisfies our urge of speaking, and also forces the mind to contemplate the Gita teaching rather than stray here and there. In fact, it becomes a form of meditation as well. Once we memorize the shlokas, we can contemplate upon them whenever we want, without having to rely on a book.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 2

Sanjaya uvaacha
tam tathaa kripayaavishtamashrupoornaakulekshanam |
vishidantamidam vaakyamuvaacha madhusoodanaha || 1 ||
 
To him who was possessed with grief and pity, and having tear-filled, confused eyes, Madhusoodana spoke these words.
 
tam : Towards him(Arjuna)
tathaa : that
kripayaa : pity
aavishtam : possessed
ashru-poorna : tear-filled
aakula : confused
ikshanam : eyes
vishidantam : grief-stricken
vaakyam : words
uvaacha : spoke
madhusoodanaha : Madhusoodana
 
Sanjaya opens this chapter painting a vivid portrait of Arjuna's state: the world's mightiest warrior struck by grief and actually crying. The poetic phrase "confused eyes" probably alludes to Arjuna not being able to see right from wrong i.e. his viveka was suppressed.
 
Moreover, this state has affected Arjuna's entire personality - physically because he had tears, emotionally because he was struck with grief and pity, and intellectually because he was confused about what to do and what not to do.
 
Shri Krishna is referred again here as Madhusoodana. This name can be interpreted a couple of ways. In the Puraanas, Lord Vishnu assumed the form of Hayagriva to kill the demon Madhu, hence he is known as Madhusoodana. This means that Sanjaya, through his divine vision, knew that Shri Krishna was connected to Lord Vishnu. Another interpretation of the name Madhusoodana is one who slays honey. Honey is a metaphor for the ego, which can be extremely sweet for someone who does not know all the nefarious things that it is capable of.