FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.12.9

नन्वग्नि: प्रमदा नाम घृतकुम्भसम: पुमान् । सुतामपि रहो जह्यादन्यदा यावदर्थकृत् ॥ ९ ॥
nanv agniḥ pramadā nāma
[nanv agnih pramadaa naama]
ghṛta-kumbha-samaḥ pumān
[ghrita-kumbha-samah pumaan]
sutām api raho jahyād
[sutaam api raho jahyaad]
anyadā yāvad-artha-kṛt
[anyadaa yaavad-artha-krit]
Word-for-word
nanu — certainly agniḥ — the fire pramadā — the woman (one who bewilders the mind of man) nāma — the very name ghṛta-kumbha — a pot of butter samaḥ — like pumān — a man sutām api — even one’s daughter rahaḥ — in a secluded place jahyāt — one must not associate with anyadā — with other women also yāvat — as much as artha-kṛt — required.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nanv agniḥ pramadā nāma
nanu
certainly
agniḥ
the fire
pramadā
the woman (one who bewilders the mind of man)
nāma
the very name
ghṛta-kumbha-samaḥ pumān
ghṛta-kumbha
a pot of butter
samaḥ
like
pumān
a man
sutām api raho jahyād
sutām api
even one’s daughter
rahaḥ
in a secluded place
jahyāt
one must not associate with
anyadā yāvad-artha-kṛt
anyadā
with other women also
yāvat
as much as
artha-kṛt
required.
Woman is compared to fire, and man is compared to a butter pot. Therefore a man should avoid associating even with his own daughter in a secluded place. Similarly, he should also avoid association with other women. One should associate with women only for important business and not otherwise.
Purport

If a butter pot and fire are kept together, the butter within the pot will certainly melt. Woman is compared to fire, and man is compared to a butter pot. However advanced one may be in restraining the senses, it is almost impossible for a man to keep himself controlled in the presence of a woman, even if she is his own daughter, mother or sister. Indeed, his mind is agitated even if one is in the renounced order of life. Therefore, Vedic civilization carefully restricts mingling between men and women. If one cannot understand the basic principle of restraining association between man and woman, he is to be considered an animal. That is the purport of this verse.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Woman is compared to fire and man is compared to a butter pot. Therefore a man should avoid associating even with his own daughter in a secluded place. One should associate with women only for important business, even if one is not alone. The reason for the rule is given in this verse. Rahaḥ means alone. Anyadā means in other circumstances, even if not alone. Even if not alone one should associate with women only when necessary to fulfill certain goals, and only for that long.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Woman is fire; man is a butter pot — even with one's own daughter, a man avoids seclusion. Sense-control is not assumed but structurally protected. Don't rely on willpower where structure suffices.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do you rely on willpower in situations that structure could simply remove?
  • What architectural change could protect a relationship from melt-down?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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