Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.8.13
Mukti· LiberationDo Not Be Captured by Lust
“A saintly person should never touch a young girl. In fact, he should not even let his foot touch a wooden doll in the shape of a woman. By bodily contact with a woman he will surely be captured by illusion, just as the elephant is captured by the she-elephant due to his desire to touch her body.”
What the purport teaches
- The verse directs a saintly mendicant to avoid bodily contact with women, even contact with a wooden female figure. It emphasizes strict caution about sensual attraction.
- A male elephant pursuing a she-elephant falls into a concealed pit and is captured. Desire for pleasurable touch similarly binds a person in illusion.
- Lustful speaking, contemplation and touching belong to the same network of sense gratification. One should not let the mind become lost in sexual dreams, which obstruct understanding of the spiritual world.
Try this today
Today, step away from one activity that feeds lustful contemplation.
Ask yourself
What thoughts or activities allow sensual desire to capture my attention?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.