dṛṣṭaṁ śrutam asad buddhvā nānudhyāyen na saṁviśet |
saṁsṛtiṁ cātma-nāśaṁ ca tatra vidvān sa ātma-dṛk ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 9.19.20)
“Having understood the seen and the heard to be asat, one who shall not meditate repeatedly [on] and shall not enjoy [them], knowing that saṁsāra and loss of the self ensue from them, is a seer of the Ātmā.”
mātrā svasrā duhitrā vā nāviviktāsano bhavet |
balavān indriya-grāmo vidvāṁsam api karṣati ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 9.19.17)
“One should not have a seat that is unseparated from [even] one’s mother, sister, or daughter. The powerful multitude of senses pulls upon even a knowledgable person.”
athāpi nopasajjeta strīṣu straiṇeṣu cārtha-vit |
viṣayendriya-saṁyogān manaḥ kṣubhyati nānyathā ||
adṛṣṭād aśrutād bhāvān na bhāva upajāyate |
asamprayuñjataḥ prāṇān śāmyati stimitaṁ manaḥ ||
tasmāt saṅgo na kartavyaḥ strīṣu straiṇeṣu cendriyaiḥ |
viduṣāṁ cāpy avisrabdhaḥ ṣaḍ-vargaḥ kim u mādṛśām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.26.22–24)
“Even then [i.e., even though women are disgusting in so far as their bodies are made of flesh, blood, stool, urine, pus, and so forth], a sagacious person should not associate with women or those subjugated by women. The mind is disturbed by contact of the senses with [their] objects and not otherwise [i.e., the mind is not disturbed if such contact does not occur]. Feeling does not arise from unseen or unheard of objects. [Thus,] The mind of one who is non-engaged with the prāṇas [i.e., senses] is still and peaceful. Therefore, association is not to be done by means of the senses with women or those subjugated by women, since the ṣaḍ-varga [i.e., the six senses] even of the wise, much less of myself [i.e., of I who am undiscerning], are untrustworthy.”
yato na kaścit kva ca kutracid vā
dīnaḥ svam ātmānam alaṁ samarthaḥ |
vimocituṁ kāma-dṛśāṁ vihāra-
krīḍā-mṛgo yan-nigaḍo visargaḥ ||
tato vidūrāt parihṛtya daityā
daityeṣu saṅgaṁ viṣayātmakeṣu |
upeta nārāyaṇam ādi-devaṁ
sa mukta-saṅgair iṣito’pavargaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.6.17–18; cited in Prīti Sandarbha: 5)
[Translated according to the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā:] “Exceedingly lowly and a toy-animal for the play of women (kāmadṛśāṁ), because of whom the fetter of progeny comes about, no one anywhere at any time is able to fully liberate one’s own self [from family life]. Therefore, O Daityas, from afar completely forsake association (saṅga) with [alt., attachment to] the Daityas, whose minds are [fixed] on objects of the senses, and approach Nārāyaṇa, the Original Deva. He is the final beatitude (apavarga) [alt., liberation] desired by those who are freed from attachment.”
ākārād api bhetavyaṁ strīṇāṁ viṣayiṇām api |
yathāher manasaḥ kṣobhas tathā tasyākṛter api ||
(Śrī Caitanyacandrodaya-nāṭaka: 8.25; cited in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.11.11)
“Even the appearance of women and viṣayīs (materialists) should be feared [and so direct association with them all the more]. As disturbance of the mind occurs because of a snake, so also it occurs because of the appearance of one [i.e., as one becomes scared upon seeing a snake and even upon seeing a toy form of a snake or perceiving the appearance of a snake in a rope, so just by seeing viṣayīs and women, or even something resembling the behavior of viṣayīs and the appearance of a woman, the mind becomes disturbed (in the case of people in general and sādhakas)].”
niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya
pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya |
sandarśanaṁ viṣayiṇām atha yoṣitāṁ ca
hā hanta hanta viṣa-bhakṣaṇato’py asādhu ||
(Śrī Caitanyacandrodaya-nāṭaka: 8.24; cited in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.11.8)
“[Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu:] Hā! Hanta! Hanta! For a renunciant intent upon Bhagavad-bhajana and desirous of reaching the far shore of the ocean of material existence, associating with viṣayīs [i.e., those engrossed in material affairs] and women is even more detrimental than drinking poison.”
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.”
