Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.31.40

yopayāti śanair māyā

yoṣid deva-vinirmitā

tām īkṣetātmano mṛtyuḿ

tṛṇaiḥ kūpam ivāvṛtam

SYNONYMS

yā — she who; upayāti — approaches; śanaiḥ — slowly; māyā — representation of māyā; yoṣit — woman; deva — by the Lord; vinirmitā — created; tām — her; īkṣeta — one must regard; ātmanaḥ — of the soul; mṛtyum — death; tṛṇaiḥ — with grass; kūpam — a well; iva — like; āvṛtam — covered.

TRANSLATION

The woman, created by the Lord, is the representation of māyā, and one who associates with such māyā by accepting services must certainly know that this is the way of death, just like a blind well covered with grass.

PURPORT

Sometimes it happens that a rejected well is covered by grass, and an unwary traveler who does not know of the existence of the well falls down, and his death is assured. Similarly, association with a woman begins when one accepts service from her, because woman is especially created by the Lord to give service to man. By accepting her service, a man is entrapped. If he is not intelligent enough to know that she is the gateway to hellish life, he may indulge in her association very liberally. This is restricted for those who aspire to ascend to the transcendental platform. Even fifty years ago in Hindu society, such association was restricted. A wife could not see her husband during the daytime. Householders even had different residential quarters. The internal quarters of a residential house were for the woman, and the external quarters were for the man. Acceptance of service rendered by a woman may appear very pleasing, but one should be very cautious in accepting such service because it is clearly said that woman is the gateway to death, or forgetfulness of one's self. She blocks the path of spiritual realization.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness