1356
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 3, Ch. 31]
material contamination by rendering devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can at that time understand the science of God.
Here the word  pratilabdhātma-lābhaḥ  occurs.  Ātmā  means self, and  lābha  means gain. Generally, conditioned souls have lost their  ātmā , or self, but those who are transcendentalists have realized the self. It is directed that such a self-realized soul who aspires to the topmost platform of yogic perfection should not associate with young women. In the modern age, however, there are so many rascals who recommend that while one has genitals he should enjoy women as much as he likes, and at the same time he can become a  yogī . In no standard  yoga  system is the association of women accepted. It is clearly stated here that the association of women is the gateway to hellish life. The association of woman is very much restricted in the Vedic civilization. Out of the four social divisions, the  brahmacārī ,  vānaprastha  and the  sannyāsī , three orders, are strictly prohibited from the association of women; only the  grhasthas , or householders, are given license to have an intimate relationship with a woman, and that relationship is also restricted for begetting nice children. If, however, one wants to stick to continued existence in the material world, he may indulge in female association unrestrictedly.
TEXT 40
योपयाति शनैर्माया योषिदेवविनिर्मिता । तामीक्षेतात्मनो मृत्युं तृणैः कूपमिवावृतम् ॥४०॥
yopayāti śanair māyā   yoṣid deva-vinirmitā   tām īkṣetātmano mṛtyum   tṛṇaiḥ kūpam ivāvṛtam
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.