SB 5.14.9

Srimad-Bhagavatam - Fifth Canto - Chapter 14: The Material World as the Great Forest of Enjoyment

SB 5.14.8 - SB 5.14.10

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

TEXT 9

kvacic ca vātyaupamyayā pramadayāroham āropitas

tat-kāla-rajasā rajanī-bhūta ivāsādhu-maryādo rajas-valākṣo 'pi

dig-devatā atirajas-vala-matir na vijānāti

SYNONYMS

kvacit — sometimes; ca — also; vātyā aupamyayā — compared to a whirlwind; pramadayā — by a beautiful woman; āroham āropitaḥ — raised onto the lap for sex enjoyment; tat-kāla-rajasā — by the passion of lusty desires at that moment; rajanī-bhūtaḥ — the darkness of night; iva — like; asādhu-maryādaḥ — who is without proper respect for the higher witnesses; rajaḥ-vala-akṣaḥ — blinded by strong lusty desires; api — certainly; dik-devatāḥ — the demigods in charge of different directions, like the sun and the moon; atirajaḥ-vala-matiḥ — whose mind is overcome by lust; na vijānāti — he does not know (that witnesses all around take note of his impudent sexual act).

TRANSLATION

Sometimes, as if blinded by the dust of a whirlwind, the conditioned soul sees the beauty of the opposite sex, which is called pramadā. Being thus bewildered, he is raised upon the lap of a woman, and at that time his good senses are overcome by the force of passion. He thus becomes almost blind with lusty desire and disobeys the rules and regulations governing sex life. He does not know that his disobedience is witnessed by different demigods, and he enjoys illicit sex in the dead of night, not seeing the future punishment awaiting him.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gītā (BG 7.11) it is said: dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu kāmo 'smi bharatarṣabha. Sex is allowed only for the begetting of children, not for enjoyment. One can indulge in sex to beget a good child for the benefit of the family, society and world. Otherwise, sex is against the rules and regulations of religious life. A materialistic person does not believe that everything is managed in nature, and he does not know that if one does something wrong, he is witnessed by different demigods. A person enjoys illicit sex, and due to his blind, lusty desire, he thinks that no one can see him, but this illicit sex is thoroughly observed by the agents of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the person is punished in so many ways, presently in Kali-yuga there are many pregnancies due to illicit sex, and sometimes abortions ensue. These sinful activities are witnessed by the agents of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and a man and woman who create such a situation are punished in the future by the stringent laws of material nature (daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14)). Illicit sex is never excused, and those who indulge in it are punished life after life. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (BG 16.20):

āsurīṁ yonim āpannā

mūḍhā janmani janmani

mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya

tato yānty adhamāṁ gatim

"Attaining repeated birth among the species of demoniac life, such persons can never approach Me. Gradually they sink down to the most abominable type of existence."

The Supreme Personality of Godhead does not allow anyone to act against the stringent laws of material nature; therefore illicit sex is punished life after life. Illicit sex creates pregnancies, and these unwanted pregnancies lead to abortion. Those involved become implicated in these sins, so much so that they are punished in the same way the next life. Thus in the next life they also enter the womb of a mother and are killed in the same way. All these things can be avoided by remaining on the transcendental platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In this way one does not commit sinful activity. Illicit sex is the most prominent sin due to lusty desire. When one associates with the mode of passion, he is implicated in suffering life after life.

SB 5.14.8 - SB 5.14.10