Shloka 63: स्त्रीधननास्तिकवैरिचरित्रं न श्रवणीयम्॥ ६३॥

strī-dhana-nāstikavairicaritraṁ na śravaṇīyam.

स्त्री-धन-नास्तिक-वैरि-चरित्रम् - the descriptions of women, wealth, atheists and enemies; न - not; श्रवणीयम् - should be listened to

The seekers of divine love should not hear stories or engage in discussions of sex, riches, atheism and enmity towards anyone.

There are two worlds, one is the outer world, made by God using the five elements and one is the inner mind of our mind and its illusions and delusions. The inner world determines our experience of the outer world. That is one of the main reasons we need to practice vairagya or detachment so that we can stabilize and purify our inner world.

As long as our inner world is not stabilized and purified, it will get aggravated when put in contact with sensory objects from the outer world. For example, let us say a person is trying to quit drinking alcohol and trying to control their mind. Then one day the neighbor comes home and brings a bottle of alcohol with them and starts consuming in front of this person. At this point, the person who was trying to control their mind so far, now finds it extremely hard to do so and will most likely give in to the temptation. That is one of the main reasons that we are instructed to avoid kusanga and maintain satsanga. 

Let us remember Shri Krishna’s warning:यततो ह्यपि कौन्तेय पुरुषस्य विपश्चित: |

इन्द्रियाणि प्रमाथीनि हरन्ति प्रसभं मन: || 60||

yatato hyapi kaunteya puruṣhasya vipaśhchitaḥ

indriyāṇi pramāthīni haranti prasabhaṁ manaḥ

The senses are so strong and turbulent, O son of Kunti, that they can forcibly carry away the mind even of a person endowed with discrimination who practices self-control.

Thus, Narad Ji tells us that we should not only avoid bad company, but also avoid listening to or discussing topics that will prevent the mind from stabilizing and establishing itself in God to progress on the spiritual path.

Just like we apply wax coating to automobile and machinery to prevent it from getting rusted, in one of his lectures, Swami Chinmayananda says that we should apply ‘Narayana Oil’ to our mind so that it also doesn’t get rusted or impacted by the various negativities of the material world.

abhimāna-dambhādikaṁ tyājyam. 

अभिमान-दम्भ-आदिकम् - pride, vanity, and such other vices; त्याज्यम् - should be given up

Pride, hypocrisy, vanity and similar negative qualities should be abandoned.

Shloka 64: अभिमानदम्भादिकं त्याज्यम्॥ ६४॥