Shloka 25
Paramahaṁsa-Dharma: The Avadhūta-like Sannyāsī and Prahlāda’s Dialogue with the ‘Python’ Saint
यदृच्छया लोकमिमं प्रापित: कर्मभिर्भ्रमन् । स्वर्गापवर्गयोर्द्वारं तिरश्चां पुनरस्य च ॥ २५ ॥
yadṛcchayā lokam imaṁ prāpitaḥ karmabhir bhraman svargāpavargayor dvāraṁ tiraścāṁ punar asya ca
Au cours de mon errance due au karma, j’ai reçu par hasard cette forme humaine; ce corps est la porte du ciel et de la délivrance, mais il peut aussi mener aux espèces inférieures ou à une nouvelle naissance humaine.
All living entities within this material world are undergoing the cycle of birth and death according to the laws of nature. This struggle of birth and death in different species may be called the evolutionary process, but in the Western world it has been wrongly explained. Darwin’s theory of evolution from animal to man is incomplete because the theory does not present the reverse condition, namely evolution from man to animal. In this verse, however, evolution has been very well explained on the strength of Vedic authority. Human life, which is obtained in the course of the evolutionary process, is a chance for elevation ( svargāpavarga ) or for degradation ( tiraścām punar asya ca ). If one uses this human form of life properly, he can elevate himself to the higher planetary systems, where material happiness is many thousands of times better than on this planet, or one may cultivate knowledge by which to become free from the evolutionary process and be reinstated in one’s original spiritual life. This is called apavarga, or liberation.
FAQs
This verse teaches that the human condition is a crucial doorway: used rightly it leads to svarga or, higher, to moksha (apavarga); used wrongly it can lead to degradation into animal life again.
Because human intelligence and moral choice make it a turning point in the soul’s karmic journey—one can elevate oneself through dharma and devotion, or bind oneself further through ignorance and vice.
Treat your current life as a rare opportunity: reduce karmic entanglement, cultivate sattva, practice bhakti (hearing, chanting, remembering the Lord), and avoid habits that dull conscience and lead to spiritual regression.