satyaṁ śaucaṁ dayā maunaṁ
buddhir hrīḥ śrīr 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
satyam - truthfulness; śaucam - cleanliness; dayā - mercy; maunam - silence; buddhiḥ - intelligence; hrīḥ - modesty; śrīḥ - beauty; yaśaḥ - fame; kṣamā - forgiveness; śamaḥ - controlling the mind; damaḥ - controlling the senses; bhagaḥ - opulence; ca - and; iti - thus; yat - of whom; saṅgāt - by the association; yāti - goes to; saṅkṣayam - complete destruction; teṣu - among them; aśānteṣu - who are restless; mūḍheṣu - among the fools; khaṇḍita-ātmasu - whose self-realization is spoiled; asādhuṣu - not saintly; saṅgam - association; na - not; kuryāt - should do; śocyeṣu - who are full of lamentation; yoṣit - of women; krīḍā-mṛgeṣu - who are like toy animals; ca - also; na - not; tathā - so much; asya - of him; bhavet - there may be; mohaḥ - illusion; bandhaḥ - binding; ca - and; anya - other types; prasaṅgataḥ - from association; yoṣit-saṅgāt - by association with women; yathā - as; puṁsaḥ - of the man; yathā - as well as; tat-saṅgi-saṅgataḥ - by association with persons attached to women.
These verses, quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.31.33-35), were spoken by Kapiladeva, an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to His mother. Herein Kapiladeva discusses pious and impious activities and the symptoms of those who are devoid of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. Generally people do not know about the miserable conditions within the womb of a mother in any species of life. Due to bad association, one gradually falls into lower species. Association with women is greatly stressed in this regard. When one becomes attached to women or to those who are attached to women, one falls down into the lower species.
puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān
kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu
“The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil among various species.” (Bhagavad-gītā 13.22)
According to Vedic civilization, one’s association with women should be very much restricted. In spiritual life there are four āśramas — brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. The brahmacārī, vānaprastha and sannyāsī are completely forbidden to associate with women. Only gṛhasthas are allowed to associate with women under certain very much restricted conditions — that is, one associates with women to propagate nice children. Other reasons for association are condemned.
These verses, quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.31.33-35), were spoken by Kapiladeva, an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to His mother. Herein Kapiladeva discusses pious and impious activities and the symptoms of those who are devoid of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. Generally people do not know about the miserable conditions within the womb of a mother in any species of life. Due to bad association, one gradually falls into lower species. Association with women is greatly stressed in this regard. When one becomes attached to women or to those who are attached to women, one falls down into the lower species.
puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān
kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu
“The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil among various species.” (Bhagavad-gītā 13.22)
According to Vedic civilization, one’s association with women should be very much restricted. In spiritual life there are four āśramas — brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. The brahmacārī, vānaprastha and sannyāsī are completely forbidden to associate with women. Only gṛhasthas are allowed to associate with women under certain very much restricted conditions — that is, one associates with women to propagate nice children. Other reasons for association are condemned.