Shloka 13
Avadhūta’s Teachers: Python, Ocean, Moth, Bee, Elephant, Deer, Fish—and Piṅgalā’s Song of Detachment
पदापि युवतीं भिक्षुर्न स्पृशेद् दारवीमपि । स्पृशन् करीव बध्येत करिण्या अङ्गसङ्गत: ॥ १३ ॥
padāpi yuvatīṁ bhikṣur na spṛśed dāravīm api spṛśan karīva badhyeta kariṇyā aṅga-saṅgataḥ
ഭിക്ഷു ഒരിക്കലും യുവതിയെ സ്പർശിക്കരുത്; സ്ത്രീരൂപത്തിലുള്ള മരപ്പാവയെ പോലും കാലാൽ സ്പർശിക്കരുത്. സ്ത്രീയുടെ ദേഹസംഗം മൂലം അവൻ മായയിൽ കുടുങ്ങും; കരിണിയുടെ ദേഹസ്പർശലോഭത്തിൽ ആന പിടിക്കപ്പെടുന്നതുപോലെ.
Elephants are captured in the jungle in the following way. A large hole is dug and then covered over with grass, leaves, mud and so on. Then a she-elephant is exhibited in front of the male elephant, who chases after her with lusty desire, falls into the hole and is captured. The lesson to be learned from the elephant is that the desire to relish the touch sensation is certainly the cause of ruining one’s life. An intelligent person, noting the elephant’s great propensity to sport with the she-elephant, will take this excellent example to heart. Therefore, somehow or other one should avoid being cheated by allurement to the sensuous form of woman. One should not allow one’s mind to be lost in lusty dreams of sex pleasure. There are various types of sense gratification to be enjoyed between men and women, including speaking, contemplating, touching, sexual intercourse, etc., and all of these constitute the network of illusion by which one is helplessly bound like an animal. Somehow or other one should remain aloof from sense gratification in the form of sex pleasure; otherwise, there is no possibility of understanding the spiritual world.
FAQs
This verse teaches strict avoidance of physical contact with objects of attraction, warning that even slight contact can create bondage, like an elephant trapped through attachment.
Because the elephant is caught by exploiting its attraction; similarly, uncontrolled desire makes a person vulnerable and leads to captivity in material life.
Maintain clear boundaries, avoid situations that inflame desire, and cultivate inner discipline through sādhana (japa, prayer, and mindful association) to protect spiritual focus.