Shloka 23

भारतवर्षमहात्म्यम् — कर्मभूमित्वम्, नवभेदाः, कुलपर्वताः-नद्यः-जनपदाः, युगचक्रविशेषः, यज्ञपुरुषविष्णुपूजा

Devanagari script

अत्र जन्मसहस्राणां सहस्रैर् अपि सत्तम कदाचिल् लभते जन्तुर् मानुष्यं पुण्यसंचयात्

Transliteration

atra janmasahasrāṇāṃ sahasrair api sattama kadācil labhate jantur mānuṣyaṃ puṇyasaṃcayāt

Translation

O best of the virtuous, here a living being attains human birth only rarely—after thousands upon thousands of births—through the accumulated treasury of merit.

Word by Word

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• जन्मसहस्राणाम्: of thousands of births
• जन्मसहस्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: जन्मनां सहस्राणि (thousands of births)

• सहस्रैः: by thousands
• सहस्रैः: Karana (Instrument/measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; करण (measure/instrument)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि = even/also

• सत्तम: O best of the good
• सत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; सत्-तम (श्रेष्ठ)

• कदाचित्: at some time
• कदाचित्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनिश्चितकालवाचक (sometimes/at some time)

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• जन्तुः: a creature (being)
• जन्तुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• मानुष्यं: human state (human birth)
• मानुष्यं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• पुण्यसंचयात्: from the accumulation of merit
• पुण्यसंचयात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य + संचय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: पुण्यस्य संचयः; हेतौ (from/owing to)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The rarity and value of human birth in Bhārata-varṣa

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Human embodiment is exceedingly rare, attained only after innumerable births through accumulated puṇya, therefore it should be used for liberation-oriented striving.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Adopt a ‘rarity mindset’: reduce procrastination, set daily spiritual non-negotiables (japa, study, service), and align choices with long-term liberation.

Vishishtadvaita: Puṇya and embodied life are meaningful realities within the Lord’s moral cosmos; the rare human condition is a divinely structured opportunity for surrender (prapatti) and bhakti.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

FAQs

What is the significance of the rarity of human birth in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse teaches that human life is an exceptional attainment in saṃsāra, reached only after vast cycles of rebirth, and therefore should be used intentionally for dharma and higher spiritual aims.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of puṇya (merit) here?

Parāśara states that mānuṣya-janma is not random; it arises from puṇya-saṃcaya—merit accumulated over many lives—implying a moral causality (karma) operating across births.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

By stressing the preciousness of human birth, the teaching implicitly frames human life as the rare opportunity to orient oneself toward Vishnu—the Supreme Reality upheld in the Purana through dharma, devotion, and right understanding.