liṅga‑yony‑ātmikā jātā imā māheśvarī prajāḥ ||
(Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.9)
“These begotten offspring, constituted of liṅga and yoni [i.e., produced by the union of Śiva and his śakti] are [called] māheśvarī [i.e., they belong to Maheśvara (Śiva), that is, the aṁśa of Viṣṇu known as Śambhu].”
na sambhāṣet striyaṁ kāñcit pūrva-dṛṣṭāṁ ca na smaret |
kathāṁ ca varjayet tāsāṁ na paśyel likhitām api ||
etac catuṣṭayaṁ mohāt strīṇām ācarato yateḥ |
cittaṁ vikriyate’vaśyaṁ tad-vikārāt praṇaśyati ||
(Nārada Parivrājaka Upaniṣad: 4.3–4)
“One should not converse with a woman, and one should not remember one who was seen previously. One should not speak of them, and one should not even look at a picture of them. The mind of an ascetic who engages in [any of] these four [activities] is certainly disturbed as a result of bewilderment [i.e., the bewilderment that arises as a result of these activities], and as a result of that agitation, he is ruined.”
prabhu kahe—vairāgī kare prakṛti sambhāṣaṇa |
dekhite nā pāri āmi tāhāra vadana ||
durvāra indriya kare viṣaya-grahaṇa |
dāravī prakṛti hare muner api mana ||
mātrā svasrā duhitrā vā nā viviktāsano bhavet |
balavān indriya-grāmo vidvāṁsam api karṣati ||
kṣudra jīva-saba markaṭa-vairāgya kariyā |
indriya carāñā bule prakṛti sambhāṣiyā ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.2.117–120; 119 is found in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 9.19.17 and Manu Smṛti: 2.215)
[Śrīman Mahāprabhu explains why he refuses to meet with Choṭa Hari Dāsa:] “Prabhu said, ‘A vairāgī [who] converses with prakṛti [i.e., a woman]—I cannot [even] look at his face. The difficult to subdue senses seize their objects, and [even] a wooden figure of prakṛti captivates the mind of even a sage. “One should not have a seat that is unseparated from [even] one’s mother, sister, or daughter [i.e., let alone other women]. The powerful multitude of senses pulls upon even a knowledgable person.” Base living beings engage in monkey vairāgya and go about grazing the senses [i.e., letting their senses roam and partake of the sense objects without restraint] and conversing with prakṛti.‘”
saṅgaṁ na kuryāt pramadāsu jātu
yogasya pāraṁ param ārurukṣuḥ |
mat-sevayā pratilabdhātma-lābho
vadanti yā niraya-dvāram asya ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.31.39)
“[Kapiladeva:] Neither one desirous of ascending to the highest pinnacle of yoga nor one who has reached realization of the ātma through service to me should become attached to [alt., associate with] women, who the wise say are the door to hell for any man.”
satyaṁ śaucaṁ dayā maunaṁ buddhiḥ śrīr hrīr yaśaḥ kṣamā |
śamo damo bhagaś ceti yat-saṅgād yāti saṅkṣayam ||
teṣv aśānteṣu mūḍheṣu khaṇḍitātmasv asādhuṣu |
saṅgaṁ na kuryāc chocyeṣu yoṣit-krīḍā-mṛgeṣu ca ||
na tathāsya bhaven moho bandhaś cānya-prasaṅgataḥ |
yoṣit-saṅgād yathā puṁso yathā tat-saṅgi-saṅgataḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.31.33–35; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.88–90)
“One should never associate with those by whose association truthfulness, cleanliness, grace, quietude, the intellect, wealth, modesty, honor, forgiveness, mental control, sense control, and good fortune are destroyed, and who are restless, foolish, self-destructive, impious, deplorable, and the pet animals of women. A man’s infatuation and bondage do not occur as a result of any other association the way they do as a result of association with women and association with those who associate with them.”
satām ayaṁ sāra-bhṛtāṁ nisargo
yad-artha-vāṇī-śruti-cetasām api |
prati-kṣaṇaṁ navyavad acyutasya yat
striyā viṭānām iva sādhu vārtā ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.13.2)
[Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Parīkṣit Mahārāja:] “This is the nature of sādhus who grasp the essence, they for whom discussion of Acyuta is truly as though ever-new at every moment even though it is [already and always] the object of their speech, hearing, and mind, just as discussion of women is [as though ever-new] for sensualists.”
vaiṣṇavera guṇa-grāhī, nā dekhaye doṣa |
kāya-mano-vākye kare vaiṣṇava-santoṣa ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.8.62)
“He [i.e., Haridāsa Paṇḍita] appreciates the qualities of Vaiṣṇavas and overlooks their faults. With body, mind, and words he pleases the Vaiṣṇavas.”
sarveṣāṁ mārgāṇāṁ tāratamya-jñānena sva-mārgotkarṣa-jñānaṁ bhavati |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.14.31)
“Knowledge of the excellence of one’s own path arises through knowledge of the gradation amidst all paths.”
yadyapi kāśī-khaṇḍam ādhunikaṁ kalpitaṁ kāvyam iti purāṇa-tattvavitsu prasiddham, tathāpi tad-ākāra-skānda-vāyavya-kaurmādi-pratipādita-sadācāra-viṣayakāṇi kānicid vacanāni smṛti-saṁvalitāny atra saṅgṛhītāni ity adoṣaḥ |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 3.13–14)
“Although the Kāśī Khaṇḍa is well-known among those cognizant of the nature of Purāṇas to be a modern made composition, still some statements of this sort presented in the Skanda, Vāyu, Kūrma, and other Purāṇas related to sadācāra that are part of the Smṛti are accepted here. There is no fault in this regard.”
aṇubhyaś ca mahadbhyaś ca śāstrebhyaḥ kuśalo naraḥ |
sarvataḥ sāram ādadyāt puṣpebhya iva ṣaṭ-padaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.8.10)
“A wise person should collect the essence from the śāstras, both great and small, like a bee collects nectar from flowers everywhere.”
