Attractive Women - The Trap of Material Illusion
The material energy is expertly designed to capture and hold the conditioned living entities in a state of forgetfulness. The most potent weapon in the arsenal of this illusory energy is the physical beauty of the opposite sex. Śrīla Prabhupāda provides a profound, unvarnished analysis of attractive women, explaining how their beauty functions as a trap for the materially minded, and how a sincere spiritual seeker must navigate this powerful allurement to achieve liberation.
The Basic Principle of Attraction
The mutual desire between male and female forms the very foundation of conditional life. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that it is natural in the material world for women to decorate themselves to enhance their beauty, and for men to be drawn to those features. The prime of youth, typically around sixteen or seventeen years of age, is when this physical attractiveness reaches its peak, captivating the minds of those seeking material enjoyment.
- Just as a lotus is extremely beautiful in autumn, a woman at the threshold of youthful beauty is extremely attractive.
- Women are generally known as the fair sex, and especially in youth, at the age of sixteen or seventeen, women are very attractive to men. Therefore a woman's face is compared to a blooming lotus flower in autumn.
- Both man and woman desire one another; that is the basic principle of material existence. Women in general always keep themselves beautiful so that they can be attractive to their lusty husbands.
- Every woman looks very beautiful when decorated with tilaka and vermillion. A woman generally becomes very attractive when her lips are colored with reddish saffron or vermillion.
The Hidden Danger and Trap
While the exterior may be charming, the attachment it breeds is spiritually fatal. Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently warns that for someone attempting to advance in self-realization, an attractive woman must be viewed with extreme caution. The scriptures compare this allurement to a dark, dangerous well hidden beneath soft grass; it appears pleasing at first but ultimately leads to severe entanglement and spiritual downfall.
- A woman's face is as attractive and beautiful as a blossoming lotus flower during autumn. Her words are very sweet, and they give pleasure to the ear, but if we study a woman's heart, we can understand it to be extremely sharp, like the blade of a razor.
- When a woman's bodily features are attractive, when her face is beautiful and when her voice is sweet, she is naturally a trap for a man.
- The sastras advise that when such a woman (who is attractive and has a beautiful face and sweet voice) comes to serve a man, she should be considered to be like a dark well covered by grass.
- Woman, who is very attractive in the beginning but in the end very disturbing, is exactly like the flower, which is attractive in the beginning and detestable at the end.
The Playthings of Illusion
Those who have no higher spiritual knowledge are entirely at the mercy of their senses. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that materialistic individuals, who are not surrendered to the Supreme Lord, easily become victims of female beauty. Driven by the lusty dictates of the age of Kali, they center their entire existence around sense gratification, effectively reducing themselves to mere playthings of the material energy.
- Those bereft of knowledge of the Lord are bound by the material laws. They are factually addicted to sense gratification, and their target is woman. Indeed, they are actually playthings in the hands of attractive women.
- This dazzling attraction (of the material world), especially the attractive beauty of a woman, is meant for persons who are not surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- By the influence of the age of Kali, even a pauper is proud of his penny, the women are always dressed in an overly attractive fashion to victimize the minds of men, and the man is addicted to drinking wine, smoking, drinking tea and chewing tobacco, etc.
- The woman is attractive for man and the man is attractive for woman. Pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam. This is the general platform of attraction between man and woman. And when they are united by such attraction, then they become more materially knotted.
The Protection of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness
Artificial repression of lust is impossible; one must acquire a superior taste. Śrīla Prabhupāda assures his followers that by strictly adhering to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and aiming to satisfy the senses of the Lord, a devotee naturally transcends the lower modes of nature. A serious practitioner who keeps their mind fixed on the Supreme is protected from being bewildered or agitated by the temporary beauty of the material body.
- The attractive features of a woman are appreciated by those who are affected by lusty desires, but those who are above such desires, who are on the platform of Krsna consciousness, are very difficult to bewilder.
- Once a devotee is fixed in Krsna consciousness these attractions (the attractive features of women and the opulence of rich men) will not agitate his mind.
- One who is serious about going back home, back to Godhead, should not contemplate the attractive features of women and the opulence of rich men. Such contemplation will check one's advancement in spiritual life.
- One who aspires to reach the culmination of yoga and has realized his self by rendering service unto Me should never associate with an attractive woman, for such a woman is declared in the scripture to be the gateway to hell for the advancing devotee.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the enchanting beauty of attractive women is the primary instrument of material illusion, expertly designed to keep the conditioned soul chained to the cycle of birth and death. Śrīla Prabhupāda rigorously teaches that while this attraction is entirely natural on the bodily platform, it is simultaneously a perilous trap for anyone seeking spiritual freedom. By replacing the desire for mundane sense gratification with a profound attraction for the transcendental service of the Supreme Lord, a devotee can successfully overcome this powerful allurement and safely return back home, back to Godhead.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Attractive Women. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.