“Generally it is said that a brahmacārī should not see a woman. So, do you think that the women community is very bad? That it should be condemned? No. It should not be condemned. This is applicable for both man and woman: woman is māyā for men, man is māyā for women. In what sense? Seeing a woman, if you think, “she is the object of my enjoyment”, then it is māyā. That a brahmacārī should not see a woman means, he should not see that woman as an object of enjoyment. That is what? It’s not that nārī-yati, woman community is bad. No. Not that! You should understand that Krishna is the only enjoyer: “she is to be enjoyed by Krishna, not by me. I am not the enjoyer.” Understand me?”
from a lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.19.11
Bhubaneswar – May 2, 1995
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