378 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta [Madhya-lila, Ch. 22
purusah prakrti-stho hi
bhunkte prakrti-jan gunan
karanarn guna-sango ‘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-gitd 13.22)
According to Vedic civilization, one’s association with women should be very
much restricted. In spiritual life there are four asramas —brahmacarya, grhastha,
vanaprastha and sannydsa. The brahmacdri, vanaprastha and sannydasi are com-
pletely forbidden to associate with women. Only grhasthas are allowed to asso-
ciate with women under certain very restricted conditions—that is, one asso-
ciates with women to propagate nice children. Other reasons for association are
condemned.
TEXT 91
Fas SSALHlA-IIA BIT AlBl wi |
a calfafoatfaqa-qancaracatag § a>
varam huta-vaha-jvala-
pafijarantar-vyavasthitih
na sauri-cinta-vimukha-
jana-samvasa-vaisasam
SYNONYMS
varam—better; huta-vaha—of fire; jvala—in the flames; pafijara-antah—inside
a cage; vyavasthitih—abiding; na—not; sauri-cinta—of Krsna consciousness, or
thought of Krsna; vimukha—bereft; jana—of persons; sarnvasa—of the asso-
ciation; vaisasam—the calamity.
TRANSLATION
“It is better to accept the miseries of being encaged within bars and sur-
rounded by burning flames than to associate with those bereft of Krsna con-
sciousness. Such association is a very great hardship.’
PURPORT
This is a quotation from the Katyayana-samhita.
