1358 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 3, Ch. 31
PURPORT

From this verse it appears that a woman is also supposed to have been a
man in his (her) previous life, and due to his attachment to his wife, he now
has the body of a woman. Bhagavad-gita confirms this; a man gets his next
life’s birth according to what he thinks of at the time of death. If someone
is too attached to his wife, naturally he thinks of his wife at the time of
death, and in his next life he takes the body of a woman. Similarly, if a
woman thinks of her husband at the time of death, then naturally she gets
the body of a man in the next life. In the Hindu scriptures, therefore,
woman’s chastity and devotion to man is greatly emphasized. A woman’s
attachment to her husband may elevate her to the body of a man in her
next life, but a man’s attachment to a woman will degrade him, and in his
next life he will get the body of a woman. We should always remember, as
it is stated in Bhagavad-gita, that both the gross and subtle material bodies
are dresses; they are the shirt and coat of the living entity. To be either a
woman or a man only involves one’s bodily dress. The soul in nature is
actually the marginal energy of the Supreme Lord. Every living entity,
being classified as energy, is supposed to be originally a woman, or one
who is enjoyed. In the body of a man there is a greater opportunity to get
out of the material clutches; there is less opportunity in the body of a
woman. In this verse it is indicated that the body of a man should not be
misused through forming an attachment to women and thus becoming too
entangled in material enjoyment, which will result in getting the body of a
woman in the next life. A woman is generally fond of household prosperity,
ornaments, furniture and dresses. She is satisfied when the husband supplies
all these things sufficiently. The relationship between man and woman is
very complicated, but the substance is that one who aspires to ascend to
the transcendental stage of spiritual realization should be very careful in
accepting the association of a woman. In the stage of Krsna consciousness,
however, such restriction of association may be slackened because if a
man’s and woman’s attachment is not to each other but to Krsna, then
both of them are equally eligible to get out of the material entanglement
and reach the abode of Krsna. As it is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, anyone
who seriously takes to Krsna consciousness—whether in the lowest species
of life, or a woman, or of the less intelligent classes, such as the mercantile
or laborer class—will go back home, back to Godhead, and reach the abode
of Krsna. A man should not be attached to a woman, nor should a woman
be attached to a man. Both man and woman should be attached to the
service of the Lord. Then there is the possibility of liberation from material
entanglement for both of them.
