One who associates with women by accepting services...

[Guest guest]

yopayati sanair maya

yosid deva-vinirmita

tam iksetatmano mrtyum

trnaih kupam ivavrtam

 

SYNONYMS

ya-she who; upayati-approaches; sanaih-slowly; maya-representation of maya;

yosit-woman; deva-by the Lord; vinirmita-created; tam-her; ikseta-one must

regard; atmanah-of the soul; mrtyum-death; trnaih-with grass; kupam-a well;

iva-like; avrtam-covered.

 

TRANSLATION

The woman, created by the Lord, is the representation of maya, and one who

associates with such maya by accepting services must certainly know that

this is the way of death, just like a blind well covered with grass.

 

[Note how intelligently Prabhupada translates sanaih-slowly as accepting

services. If you give the camel an inch it will take an ell.]

 

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.