Shloka 26
Supremacy of Hari-Bhakti in Kali-yuga; Warnings on Sensual Attachment; Praise of Brāhmaṇas, Purāṇa-Listening, and Gaṅgā
तस्मात्सर्वात्मना साधुर्नारीसंगं विवर्जयेत् । को नाम नारीमासाद्य सिद्धिं प्राप्नोति भूतले
tasmātsarvātmanā sādhurnārīsaṃgaṃ vivarjayet | ko nāma nārīmāsādya siddhiṃ prāpnoti bhūtale
ฉะนั้น ผู้ประพฤติธรรมพึงหลีกเว้นการคบหาหญิงโดยสิ้นเชิง ด้วยความเพียรจริงจัง; เพราะผู้ใดเล่าที่เข้าใกล้หญิงแล้วจะบรรลุสิทธิ์ทางจิตวิญญาณบนแผ่นดินนี้?
Unspecified (narrative voice within Svargakhaṇḍa Adhyaya 61; exact speaker not provided in the excerpt)
Concept: For spiritual accomplishment, one should avoid sensual entanglement; association that inflames kāma obstructs siddhi.
Application: Choose saṅga carefully: limit stimuli that trigger compulsive desire; cultivate sattvic friendships, study, japa, and service; treat relationships through dharma and responsibility rather than indulgence.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A teacher-sage stands at the threshold of a temple courtyard, raising a hand in admonition while a young seeker turns away from a bustling pleasure-garden. Behind them, a faint vision of a dark chasm (nāraka) contrasts with the temple’s lamp-lit sanctum, dramatizing the choice between saṅga and sādhana.","primary_figures":["ācārya/ṛṣi","young sādhaka","symbolic figures of temptation (as silhouettes)","Vishnu icon in sanctum"],"setting":"Temple courtyard with a visible garbhagṛha doorway; to one side a pleasure-garden with music and perfume; to the other side a quiet path with tulasi pots and prayer flags (symbolic, not textual).","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["deep indigo","lamp-flame amber","vermillion","leaf green","smoky charcoal"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a Viṣṇu shrine with gold-leaf arch and lamp-lit sanctum; a sage in front gestures ‘stop’ as a young devotee turns away from a sensual garden scene; strong gold leaf on the temple vimāna and halos, rich reds/greens, ornate jewelry on the Viṣṇu murti, dramatic contrast between sanctum glow and shadowed temptation.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a hillside temple courtyard with delicate architecture; the sage instructs a youth to avoid a nearby garden where faint musicians and perfumed air are suggested; cool palette with warm lamp highlights, refined facial expressions conveying restraint and inner struggle.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines; central sage and seeker at a temple threshold; left panel shows stylized temptation figures in darker tones; right panel shows the sanctum with Viṣṇu emblem and lamps; traditional red-yellow-green pigments with strong narrative clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a shrine backdrop with ornate floral borders; central devotee turning toward a Viṣṇu altar; temptation garden rendered as patterned textiles and swirling motifs; deep blue ground, gold highlights, lotus and vine borders framing the moral choice."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["temple bells","conch shell","muffled festive music fading away","footsteps on stone"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तस्मात्सर्वात्मना = तस्मात् सर्वात्मना; साधुर्नारीसंगं = साधुः नारी-सङ्गम्; नारीमासाद्य = नारीम् आसाद्य।
FAQs
It emphasizes strict self-restraint (saṃyama) and detachment (vairāgya), advising a spiritual aspirant to avoid distracting associations that can hinder inner steadiness.
In traditional ascetic contexts, such statements are generally aimed at warning against sense-attachment and entangling companionship (saṅga) that disturbs practice, rather than making a metaphysical claim about women’s worth.
The ethical lesson is vigilance over one’s company and impulses: spiritual “siddhi” is presented as requiring wholehearted commitment and avoidance of relationships that provoke craving, distraction, or loss of discipline.