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
پس نیک بندے کو پورے اخلاص کے ساتھ عورتوں کی صحبت سے پرہیز کرنا چاہیے۔ بھلا کون ہے جو عورت کے قریب جا کر اس زمین پر روحانی کمال پاتا ہے؟
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.