Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
| Canto 3: The Status Quo | Chapter 31: Lord Kapila's Instructions on the Movements of the Living Entities |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.31.42
paty-apatya-grihātmakam
daivopasāditam mrityum
SYNONYMS
tām — the Lord's māyā; ātmanah — of herself; vijānīyāt — she should know; pati — husband; apatya — children; griha — house; ātmakam — consisting of; daiva — by the authority of the Lord; upasāditam — brought about; mrityum — death; mrigayoh — of the hunter; gāyanam — the singing; yathā — as.
TRANSLATION
A woman, therefore, should consider her husband, her house and her children to be the arrangement of the external energy of the Lord for her death, just as the sweet singing of the hunter is death for the deer.
PURPORT
In these instructions of Lord Kapiladeva it is explained that not only is woman the gateway to hell for man, but man is also the gateway to hell for woman. It is a question of attachment. A man becomes attached to a woman because of her service, her beauty and many other assets, and similarly a woman becomes attached to a man for his giving her a nice place to live, ornaments, dress and children. It is a question of attachment for one another. As long as either is attached to the other for such material enjoyment, the woman is dangerous for the man, and the man is also dangerous for the woman. But if the attachment is transferred to Krishna, both of them become Krishna conscious, and then marriage is very nice. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī therefore recommends:
anāsaktasya vishayān
yathārham upayuñjatah
(Bhakti-rasāmrita-sindhu 1.2.255)
Man and woman should live together as householders in relationship with Krishna, only for the purpose of discharging duties in the service of Krishna. Engage the children, engage the wife and engage the husband, all in Krishna conscious duties, and then all these bodily or material attachments will disappear. Since the via medium is Krishna, the consciousness is pure, and there is no possibility of degradation at any time.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness