196 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 4

son was purified and when looking at them made no distinction between
male and female. But the sage made such distinctions.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gitd it is said that a learned sage looks equally on the
learned and gentle brahmana, a candala (dog-eater), a dog or cow due to
his spiritual vision. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami attained that stage. Thus he
did not see a male or female, but he saw all living entities in different dress.
The ladies who were bathing could understand the mind of a man simply
by studying his demeanor, just as by looking at a child one can understand
how innocent he is. Sukadeva Gosvami was a young boy sixteen years old,
and therefore all the parts of his body were developed. He was naked also,
and so were the ladies. But because bikctievs Gosvami was transcendental
to sex relations, he appeared very innocent. The ladies, by their special
qualifications, could sense this at once, and therefore they were not very
concerned about him. But when his father passed, the ladies quickly
dressed. The ladies were exactly like his children or grandchildren, yet
they reacted to the presence of Vyasadeva according to the social custom
because Srila Vyasadeva played the part of a householder. A householder
has to distinguish between a male and female, otherwise he cannot be
a householder. One should, therefore, attempt to know the distinction be-
tween spirit soul without ‘any attachment for male and female. As long as
such distinction is there, one should not try to become a sannyasi like
Sukadeva Gosvami. At least theoretically one must be convinced that a
living entity is neither a male nor female. The outward dress is made of
matter by material nature to attract the opposite sex and thus keep one
entangled in material existence. A liberated soul is above this perverted
distinction. He does not distinguish between one living being and another.
For him they are all one and the same spirit. The perfection of this
spiritual vision is the liberated stage, and Srila Sukadeva Gosvami attained
that stage. Srila Vyasadeva was also in the transcendental stage, but
because he was in the householder’s life, he did not pretend to be a
liberated soul, as a matter of custom.

TEXT 6

RUMG A: Tes TIA: FRAT |
THATS || TATA GI
