Shloka 32
अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
इयं हि योनि: प्रथमा यां प्राप्प जगतीपते । आत्मा वै शक्यते त्रातुं कर्मभि: शुभलक्षणै:
iyaṁ hi yoniḥ prathamā yāṁ prāpya jagatīpate | ātmā vai śakyate trātuṁ karmabhiḥ śubhalakṣaṇaiḥ ||
Car, ô seigneur de la terre, cette naissance humaine est la condition d’existence la plus éminente ; l’ayant obtenue, on peut véritablement sauver son propre être par des actes marqués de qualités auspiciées.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human birth is presented as the foremost and uniquely effective state for spiritual progress: by performing virtuous, auspiciously qualified actions (śubha-karmas), one can 'save' or uplift the self (ātmā), implying ethical conduct as a means to inner deliverance.
Parāśara addresses a ruler ('jagatīpati'), instructing him on the value of human life within a broader Śānti Parva discourse on dharma and right conduct, emphasizing that this birth enables purposeful moral action leading to self-uplift.