Shloka 41
The Lord’s Supervision of Embodiment: Fetal Development, Womb-Suffering, and the Jīva’s Prayer (Garbha-stuti) — and the Trap of Māyā
यां मन्यते पतिं मोहान्मन्मायामृषभायतीम् । स्त्रीत्वं स्त्रीसङ्गत: प्राप्तो वित्तापत्यगृहप्रदम् ॥ ४१ ॥
yāṁ manyate patiṁ mohān man-māyām ṛṣabhāyatīm strītvaṁ strī-saṅgataḥ prāpto vittāpatya-gṛha-pradam
A living being who, through attachment to a woman in a former life, has obtained a woman’s body, foolishly regards My māyā in the form of a man—her husband—as the supreme giver of wealth, children, home, and other worldly gains.
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-gītā 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, 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-gītā, 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 Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa, then both of them are equally eligible to get out of the material entanglement and reach the abode of Kṛṣṇa. As it is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā, anyone who seriously takes to Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa. 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.
FAQs
This verse explains that, under delusion caused by the Lord’s māyā, a man identifies the woman as his life’s center and becomes bound by the household gifts that follow—wealth, children, and home—thereby deepening material entanglement.
Kapila’s point is not hatred toward women, but the mechanism of illusion: when desire and identification dominate, the relationship becomes a channel of māyā that pulls the soul toward possessiveness and worldly goals instead of devotion and liberation.
Live as a responsible householder while reducing possessiveness—center the home on sādhana (hearing, chanting, worship), see family as the Lord’s trust, and avoid letting wealth and pleasure become the purpose of life.