Every Woman Should be Protected | SB 8.9.5-9 | 01 Nov 1997 | New Delhi | Śrīla Gopāl Kṛṣṇa Goswāmī

Om namah bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namah bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namah bhagavate vasudevaya. Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 8, Chapter 9. Text 5 to 9. O beautiful girl with beautiful eyebrows, certainly Providence by His gorgeous mercy has sent you to please the senses and minds of all of us. Is this not a fact? Text 6. We are now all engaged in enmity amongst ourselves because of this one subject matter, the container of nectar. "Although we have been born in the same family, we are becoming increasingly inimical." "O thin-veined woman who was so beautiful in a prestigious position," Prasada said, "we therefore request you to favor us by settling our dispute." Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda. The demons understood that the beautiful woman had attracted the attention of them all. Therefore, they unanimously requested her to become the arbitrator to settle their dispute. Text 7. All of us, both demons and demigods, have been born of the same father, Kashyapa, and thus we are related as brothers. But now we are exhibiting our personal prowess in this sanction. Therefore, we request you to settle our dispute and divide the nectar equally among us. Text 8. Having thus been requested by the demons, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who had assumed the form of a beautiful woman, began to smile. Looking at them with attractive feminine gestures, she spoke as follows. Text 9. Sī-bhāgvan-vātām, hīla-vāyavātām, kātām kāśipada-yadām, kātām kāśipada-yadām. Śrīla Yamāyaṁ maīṣṅgataḥ, viśvaṣṁpanito jāto, tāmiti śūnayati yajñaḥ. The Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Mohini told the demons.

Śrī Nakia Pandit, the great politician and moral instructor, said, Viśvāso nāivakārtavyā śrīśu-rāja-kalēśu-cā.

Never put your faith in a woman or in a politician. Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who was pretending to be a woman, warned the demons against putting so much faith in Her, for She had appeared as an attractive woman ultimately to cheat them. Indirectly disclosing the purpose for which she had appeared before them, she said to the sons of Kaśyapa, "How is this? You were all born of great rishis, yet you are putting your faith in a woman who is loitering here and there like a prostitute, unprotected by father or husband. Women in general should never be trusted." And what is speaking for women loitering like a prostitute?

The word kamani is significant in this connection.

Women, specially beautiful young women, invoke the dormant lusty desires of a man. Therefore, according to Manusmṛta, every woman should be protected either by her husband, by her father, or by her grown-up sons. Without such protection, a woman will be exploited. Indeed, women like to be exploited by men. As soon as a woman is exploited by a man, she becomes a common prostitute. This is explained by Mohini Murti, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Om akyānta-mananda-sya yanam janāśalakya śakṣu-ran-vinitañyena tasmai śrī-kṛṣṇa-vṛndamāha. Shri Chaitanya Manobhishtha, sthapitāmyena bhūtele, saiyam rūpākādāmayām, tadāti svāpasantikām, bandheham Śrīgurū, Śrī uttāpāda-kamalāṁ, Śrīgurūn vāiṣṇām aṁśāḥ, Śrī rūpāṁ sa grajatām, sahāganaḥ sahūnāṁ saṅgatāṁ taṁsu devaṁ. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma Rāma Rāma. "Om shaliam mayi sanghutā, visvātāṁ pañito jātu, sāmin īśṇa yasye." So this verse is being spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In this case, the Supreme Lord has incarnated as Moiniburti. Mohini Murti is the incarnation of the Lord as a woman. And in this incarnation of Mohini Murti, she was the most attractive woman on this universe. As you know, the Lord possesses 6 opulences in unlimited degree. Eśvaracātārhamāgrasa-vīryaśāyaśaśrayaḥ.

Jñāna-gvraḥ jñāvāya śāyamātvaṇṇa-mbhāgai-jñānaḥ.

So Lord possesses 6 opulences in unlimited degree. He is the wealthiest, the most knowledgeable, the most beautiful, the most renowned, the most famous, and the strongest. So one of His opulences is that He is the most beautiful. So in this incarnation of Ammuini Murti, The Lord was the most beautiful woman on this planet, and He appeared in this incarnation to trick the demons.

Viśvanātha Cakravartī ṭhākura has compared, he has compared the appearance as Mohini Mūrti with the Lord's incarnation as Gautama Buddha, as Lord Buddha. The Lord incarnated as Buddha, and He took the people away from the Vedic scriptures. Why?

Because the people were using the Vedic scriptures, they were misusing the Vedic scriptures to kill the innocent animals.

So in this incarnation of Mohini Murti, the Lord appeared to Bibhuḍha, the demigod, the demon.

The demons had snatched a jug of nectar from the hand of Dhanvantari. Dhanvantari is the expansion of, a plenary expansion of the Supreme Lord. So he was holding a jug of nectar. It was not ordinary nectar. So these demons, they saw this nectar was meant for the demigods. So Dhanvantari was holding the jug of nectar, and the demons came and snatched it and ran away. So the demigods, They had no alternative, but they went to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Actually, if you read the Bhāgavatam, you'll see how often the demigods go to the Supreme Lord for shelter. It is so unfortunate that people in our country think that all gods are one, everyone is equal. If you read the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you find so many instances there. The demigods ultimately get saved by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So the demigods went to the Supreme Lord and they said, "The demons, they have snatched the jug of nectar from Danvantari. Please help us, please help us." "So the Lord said, 'Do not worry. I will protect you.'" Just like Nārada Muni was asked by a demon once, Rikāśūra: "I want a benediction. Wherever I place my hand, that thing should burst.

Who should I go to?

Brahmā?" Shiva or Vishnu. And Narada Muni said, "Don't go to Vishnu, he won't give you this benediction. Don't even go to Brahmā. Go to Shiva, you will get the benediction." He got the benediction, but ultimately the purpose of the benediction was that Shiva was saved by Kṛṣṇa. So the Demigods are anxious to establish the supreme position of the Lord also. So the Lord told the demigods, "Do not worry, I will appear." So He incarnated as Mohini Murti. Nothing is inconceivable for the Lord. Just like behind we have the Deity of Lord Nrsimhadev. What is Lord Nrsimhadev?

Half man, half lion.

Many years ago in America, there was a court case against ISKCON. So in the court case, one of the points that the opposite side raised in the court was, "Look, these people are worshiping a god who is an animal, and they accept him as God." So we say, "Yes." Nothing is inconceivable for the Lord. So they said, "Look, they worship someone as God who is half man, half lion." Because to the average American, the concept of God appearing as a half lion, half animal, human being is impossible. But nothing is impossible for the Lord. The Lord appeared in a fish incarnation and He lifted the Vedas. He appeared in the boar incarnation. Lifted the earth out of water. So nothing is impossible for the Lord. So over here the Lord appeared as a very beautiful woman, Moini Murti. So when the Lord appeared as Moini Murti, all the demons, they were already fighting. The demons, they snatched the nectar from Danvantari, and they were fighting who should drink it first. Every demon will think, "I should drink it first." The other says, "No, no, no, I should drink it first." So that's the difference between the demons and the devotees. The demons are always thinking, "How can I satisfy my senses first?" And the devotees are thinking, "How can I satisfy Kṛṣṇa's senses first?" That's the difference. The materialist, he's thinking, "How can I get some satisfaction?" But the devotee is thinking, "How can I please Kṛṣṇa?" Prabhupāda gave an example: When the materialist sees a beautiful thing, he thinks, "How can I rob it or buy it?" But when the devotee sees a beautiful thing, he thinks, "How can I offer it to Kṛṣṇa?" So the demons, they had snatched the nectar, but actually now they were fighting amongst themselves. And when they saw this beautiful form of Mohini Mūrti, Haha, they forgot about the nectar. Previously they were fighting who is going to drink the nectar first, but then they saw this beautiful form of Moini Murti, they all got attracted to this beautiful form of Moini Murti. And they were all thinking, "Now who should, who should get friendly with her?" They were all so captured. That form of Moini Murti was even more beautiful than the Goddess of Fortune. This was the most beautiful form of a woman on this universe, ever seen in history. After all, it was the Supreme Lord Himself who expanded as Mohini Murti. It wasn't just an ordinary personality. So the demons, they were amazed, they were bewildered by this very beautiful form of Mohini Murti. And they were saying, "We have pulled—" And Mohini Murti came there and She took the nectar from the demons. The nectar was in the hands of the demons, but they were so captured by her beauty that they gave her the nectar. And they said, "Okay, we trust you fully. Whatever you want to do, we will accept." So Mohini Murti humiliated them, took the nectar from them. Now in this verse Mohini Murti is telling the demons, "Why do you have so much faith in Me?" In this verse we have seen so far how the demons completely surrendered to Bhagavati Murti. They said, "Okay, You take the nectar. We have full faith in You. You divide the nectar as You see fit." But Bhagavati Murti is saying, "Why do you have so much faith in Me? I am an unprotected woman." "I'm like a prostitute. Why are you putting so much faith in me?" She's telling them, "Why are you putting so much faith in me?" But still they were so attracted to her beauty, they said, "No, no, no, whatever you decide, we will accept." So the Prophet has made the point that a woman is never considered to— should never be independent. According to the Vedic system, A woman goes through 3 stages of protection. The first stage of protection for a woman is when the woman is protected by her parents. The second stage of protection is when she is protected by her husband. And the third stage of protection is when a woman is protected by her son. But a woman actually should never be independent. A woman— saying that a woman should never be independent doesn't mean a woman can't go back to Godhead. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhāgavad-gītā, "Anyone who surrenders to Me, whether it be a mecha, stri, they all become eligible to go back to Godhead if they follow the spiritual process." But this system of varnāśrama, the system of Vedic society, entails that a woman actually should be given protection. And when a woman is not protected, then there is unwanted progeny. What did Arjuna say in the first chapter of the Bhāgavad-gītā? Who knows what did he say on this point? In the 4th chapter of the Gītā, Arjuna told Kṛṣṇa: "You are telling me to fight, engage in this battle, kill all these soldiers. Then the women will be left behind unprotected. And when the women are unprotected, they will be—" unwanted progeny. He said: "How can I take part in this battle?" So when the women are not protected, there is going to be unwanted progeny. Therefore, a woman should always be protected. These days, at least it's almost caught up in India also now, women all over the world want what they call equal rights, equal status. They don't want to have anyone supervising them in some parts. Like in Scandinavia, the woman have more rights than the husbands. In many parts of Scandinavia, the husbands babysit and the woman go and earn the money. So these are one of the symptoms of Kali-yuga. So Prabhupāda in the purport quotes Śrī Nākya-pandit: Never trust a woman or a politician. Politicians, of course, have no principles of life. Their only principle in life is some or the other to hold on to power, isn't it? Some or the other, doesn't matter. Especially in India, you see how they switch parties, how they do everything as long as they can hold on to power. Now, um, Prabhupada in the Purva talks about How an unprotected woman becomes unchaste, and how an unchaste woman is always trying to bewilder other people. How an unchaste woman is always looking for a customer, is always looking for a client. So this is the true life. Where one gets attracted to the opposite sex. And one who doesn't know the purpose of life is a victim of the uncontrolled senses. Uncontrolled senses get very attracted to the opportunity for sense pleasure. But if your senses are engaged positively in service to the Lord, then a beautiful woman also cannot attract you. For example, on one occasion, Māyādevī had, Māyādevī had incarnated herself as a very beautiful woman and she went to Haridāsa ṭhākura. Haridāsa ṭhākura was doing japa. She went as a beautiful prostitute and she started making very attractive poses to seduce Haridas. But Haridas was so absorbed in japa that he did not get attracted to the temptation of Maya Devī. This Maya Devī incarnation At one time, even bewildered, got Brahmā. But when she fainted in front of Haridas Thakur, she was defeated, and she admitted her defeat. She said, "I am defeated now." Then there was another occasion when a very beautiful prostitute was sent to seduce Haridas with the intention of defaming his character. So when that very beautiful prostitute went to Haridas, first night what did Haridas say? He said, "I know why you have come here. Let me just finish my rounds, then I will satisfy you." So she waited with great expectation for Haridas and the whole night went by. And Haridas said, I'm sorry I couldn't satisfy you today, last night, but tonight I'll satisfy you. This way, two nights passed by, and Hīrās, of course, was not at all seduced. On the third night, this prostitute had become so purified that she surrendered at the feet of Haridas. And she started chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. She told Haridas about her plan, that she was sent by this Mahāmādhana king and Mahāmādhana Samidā to seduce him. And Haridas said, "I knew this fool had sent you. I was going to go away." Aidat used to move every few days, but because you had come, I did not move. And instead of Aidat being seduced, the prostitute got seduced to become a pure devotee. And she became a great devotee. She distributed all her wealth to the brahmanas, and she started chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. On the other hand, there is an occasion, how Viśvāmitra Mūṇaī, He got disturbed in his meditation by the ankle bells of Menaka, and his disturbance broke. Just see, there is a story of another sage. He was meditating in water, and he saw two fishes mating in water. And seeing the fishes mating in water, he got disturbed also and his meditation broke. So Lord Caitanya has advised us that you should never see a wooden form of a woman, in the sense that if your senses are not engaged positively, then it's very easy to be seduced. Where we engage the body, mind, and senses in service to the Lord, one is spiritually protected. But if the senses are not engaged positively, then the senses can become the cause of our bondage. Just like in the Bhāgavatam it is said that the same action, if applied in a therapeutic manner, becomes the cure of the disease. So for example, these uncontrolled senses They are the cause of taking you to hell. But these senses, when they are engaged in service to the Lord, they become the cause of taking you back to Kṛṣṇa. So the point is that a devotee who has his senses controlled, he is not bewildered by the beautiful form of a woman. This doesn't mean That one should think that I'm spiritually so powerful that I can associate with women freely and still not be disturbed. No. On the spiritual path, even if one is a great hasta, one is advised to be very careful in associating with the opposite sex. As far as brahmacharis, sannyasis, as far as humanity is concerned. Chanakya Pandit says you should consider every woman except your, except your wife as your mother. Chanakya Pandit says this is how we should view everything. He says consider every woman except your wife as your mother, and you, everyone else's property is nothing but garbage. And deal with others the way you want others to deal with you. If you can understand these three things, spiritual life will become easy. He says, deal with others the way you want others to deal with you. So how do you want others to deal with you? With respect, love, and affection. Okay. So you want others to be respectful to you. So you also be respectful to others. Not that you want everybody else to respect you, but you be nasty with others. So that's the first point. If we are respectful to others, then they will be respectful to us. Then Chinakya Pandit said, "Look upon everyone else's property as nothing but a heap of garbage. Now what happens? You see a nice new car. What do you think? Oh, I should also buy that car. How can I steal it? How can I make some money? And you look upon some nice product, somebody else has a nice stereo, you say, oh, I should also get this stereo. So you make plans, how can I steal it, etc. But if you look upon somebody else's possession as garbage, Then you will have no attraction to steal. Do you ever plan to steal garbage? Kacchra chori karna kācāye, plan banātāikyaṁ. Have you ever read the thieves came and robbed all the garbage in front of the Nehru Place garbage lot? Huh? No. So Çanakkya Pāṇit says, Look upon others' possessions as nothing but a heap of garbage. Then you will never be envious. In mature life we get envious, "Oh, he has so much possession, I don't have," isn't it? "Why did he get an office and I didn't get an office?" So look upon everyone's, others' possessions as nothing but a heap of garbage. And in that way you will not be attracted to others' possessions. Then Chinakapandit said, "Look upon every other woman except your wife as your mother." Therefore when we talk to a woman we call them mataji. Now we should apply this in practice. So as far as association with the opposite sex goes, we should not associate more than necessary. Brahmachari or sannyāsī should never sit alone with a woman. Once a woman disciple came to see Bhaktisiddhanta Ji. That woman disciple was approximately the age of, like a daughter to Bhaktisiddhanta Ji. She said, "I want to speak something confidentially to you." Bhaktisiddhanta Ji said, "Yes, you can." "I want to speak alone to you." He said, "No, you can't speak to me alone." And he had a brahmachari disciple sit over there while this lady disciple, who was almost like his daughter, was talking to him. So the point is that even if you are a brahmachari or a sannyasi, you have to be very careful. We don't talk with the opposite sex any more than necessary. And when we talk to them, we should talk in public. Not in private, not in, not in a, not in some secluded place. As far as grihastas are concerned, if they want to advance spiritually, they should also understand the importance of associating, but in such a manner that the spiritual life doesn't get curtailed. That is very important. It's not that if you're a grihasta, you can mix, you can associate. But then, then a grihastha also has to make a choice. Do I want to advance spiritually, or do I want to remain entangled? If you want to advance spiritually, then again you have to use your intelligence so that, um, you associate in such a manner that you can— you don't get bewildered and you don't become a victim of your, of your senses. So the point is that this instruction of the scriptures and the great sages. It is not an insult to women. In the Bhāgavatam, the example is given of butter and fire. When you put butter in fire, even though the butter is frozen, the butter will melt. So this is the law of nature, that when you associate with the opposite sex freely, then The butter will melt, then your spiritual life will get bewildered, then you'll get bewildered, and it will be different— difficult to concentrate on the goal of life. Therefore, one must understand, regardless of what situation one is in, that association with the opposite sex is not the most helpful, is not helpful, is not very helpful on the spiritual path unless both male and female are spiritually convinced about the goal of life, if the male and the female both have one goal of life, how to go back to Godhead, how to achieve the goal of life, how to develop Kṛṣṇa-prema, and if they are both detached and not attached to the bodily concept of life, Then both can work together on their path back to Godhead. Just like the other day we were seeing this Prabhupāda video in which he was calling one of his priyātā disciples, pradumna, Pandit Pradumna, and he was saying, "How he and his wife are both working so hard to help me in the translation of my books." So the husband and the wife are both working for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa and guru. And they are both living in the principles of regulated life according to religious scriptures, then it is prihasta ashram, ashram by which the goal of life can be realized. But if we are not, if we don't both have the same, if husband and wife don't have the same goal, if they are not living according to religious principles in the scriptures, if they are attached to each other's body on the basis of sense enjoyment, then that situation is a destructive path, or it's a situation which will not take one back to Godhead. So we should not fool ourselves to think that I am spiritually so strong, I can associate freely with a woman and nothing is going to happen to me. No, the Bhāgavatam is again and again pointing out at the dangers of association with the opposite sex. So one who is intelligent, he may live in the grihāsa-āśrama, but he lives in the grihāsa-āśrama in a detached spirit with a goal of self-realization. And when husband and wife both have the same goal, then they understand what the Bhāgavatam is saying. They do not feel insulted by what the Bhāgavatam is saying, because the Bhāgavatam is saying is the ultimate truth, which is for our going back to Godhead. The Bhāgavatam is not spoken by some ordinary personality. It is spoken directly by Kṛṣṇa. See this. And here again it is Kṛṣṇa speaking, who was incarnated in the form of Moini Murti. So the Bhāgavatam very frankly discusses the story of King Yāyati. The Bhāgavatam gives the example of an elephant. A he-elephant is made to follow a she-elephant by the cunning hunter. And then the he-elephant falls in the ditch that is covered by grass, and then the cunning hunter comes and kills the he-elephant. So if we become a slave of our genitals, then spiritual advancement will become very difficult. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī says, Vācchau vegaṁ manasa-krodha-vegam jīvau vegaṁ udāra-paśravaigam. You must control tongue. Bhaktisiddhānta Svarūpa ṭhākura explains, The tongue, the belly, and the genitals are all in a straight line. So if you control the tongue and you control the belly, then the genitals will be controlled. But if you don't control the tongue, don't control the belly, then it will not be easy to control the genitals. So how do you control your tongue? You control your tongue by chanting Hare Krishna and by reading Krishna Prasad. How do you control your belly? By not overeating. If you overeat, then again you'll have more sex desire. But if you eat the right amount, the Vedic formula is fill 50% of your hunger with food, 25% with water, 25% with air. And if that's the formula you adopt, then your belly will not have too much pressure, then your genitals will not have too much pressure. So we take advantage of the guidelines that are given to us, then we can still— then we can control our mind and senses and make progress on the journey back to Godhead. So to summarize, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has appeared in the form of Mohini Murti, and He's telling the demons, "Why are you putting so much faith in me? After all, I'm an unprotected woman." So She's warning the demons. As to what she's going to do. Take the nectar to the Dhamma Gaura. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Hale Lama, Hale Lama. Lama Lama, Hale Hale.