SB 5.1.17
Devanāgarī
भयं प्रमत्तस्य वनेष्वपि स्याद् यत: स आस्ते सहषट्सपत्न: । जितेन्द्रियस्यात्मरतेर्बुधस्य गृहाश्रम: किं नु करोत्यवद्यम् ॥ १७ ॥
Text
bhayaṁ pramattasya vaneṣv api syād yataḥ sa āste saha-ṣaṭ-sapatnaḥ jitendriyasyātma-rater budhasya gṛhāśramaḥ kiṁ nu karoty avadyam
Synonyms
bhayam—fear;pramattasya—of one who is bewildered;vaneṣu—in forests;api—even;syāt—there must be;yataḥ—because;saḥ—he (one who is not self-controlled);āste—is existing;saha—with;ṣaṭ-sapatnaḥ—six co-wives;jita-indriyasya—for one who has already conquered the senses;ātma-rateḥ—self-satisfied;budhasya—for such a learned man;gṛha-āśramaḥ—household life;kim—what;nu—indeed;karoti—can do;avadyam—harm.
Translation
Even if he goes from forest to forest, one who is not self-controlled must always fear material bondage because he is living with six co-wives — the mind and knowledge-acquiring senses. Even householder life, however, cannot harm a self-satisfied, learned man who has conquered his senses.
Purport
Herein Lord Brahmā indicates that instead of going to the forest with uncontrolled senses, it is better and more secure to engage the senses in the service of the Lord. Even household life can do no harm to a self-controlled person acting in this way; it cannot force him into material bondage. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has further enunciated this position:
īhā yasya harer dāsye karmaṇā manasā girā nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate
“Regardless of one’s circumstances, if one fully engages his activities, mind and words in the devotional service of the Lord, he should be understood to be a liberated person.” Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was a responsible officer and a householder, yet his service to the cause of expanding the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is unique. Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says, durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate. The sense organs are certainly our greatest enemies, and they are therefore compared to venomous serpents. However, if a venomous serpent is bereft of its poison fangs, it is no longer fearful.Similarly, if the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord, there is no need to fear their activities. The devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement move within this material world, but because their senses are fully engaged in the service of the Lord, they are always aloof from the material world. They are always living in a transcendental position.