Shloka 80
देवतापितृप्रश्नः — Nārada at Badarīāśrama: the ultimate referent of daiva and pitṛ worship
सोपानभूतं स्वर्गस्य मानुष्य॑ प्राप्य दुर्लभम् | तथा55त्मानं समादध्याद् भ्रश्यते न पुनर्यथा
sopānabhūtaṃ svargasya mānuṣyaṃ prāpya durlabham | tathātmānaṃ samādadhyād bhraśyate na punar yathā ||
दुर्लभ मानव-जीवन को पाकर—जो स्वर्ग तक पहुँचने की सीढ़ी के समान है—मनुष्य को चाहिए कि वह अपने-आपको इस प्रकार धर्म में स्थिर और एकाग्र करे कि फिर उस उच्च अवस्था से नीचे न गिरे।
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human birth is rare and valuable; it should be used as a means of ascent by firmly establishing oneself in dharma, so that one does not relapse into a lower condition after attaining higher worlds or higher moral/spiritual standing.
Vyāsa delivers an ethical instruction within the Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, emphasizing disciplined commitment to dharma after obtaining the difficult-to-attain human embodiment, portrayed as the ‘ladder’ to svarga.