Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36
The Characteristics of Devotion to Hari
कोटिजन्मसहस्रेषु स्थावरादिषु सत्तम । सम्भ्रान्तस्य तु मानुष्यं कथञ्चित्परिलभ्यते ॥ ३६ ॥
koṭijanmasahasreṣu sthāvarādiṣu sattama | sambhrāntasya tu mānuṣyaṃ kathañcitparilabhyate || 36 ||
Wahai yang terbaik di antara orang saleh! Setelah ribuan—bahkan jutaan—kelahiran dalam wujud tak bergerak dan bentuk-bentuk lain, kelahiran sebagai manusia hanya diperoleh entah bagaimana oleh jiwa yang telah terbangun batinnya.
Sanatkumara (addressing Narada in the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It emphasizes that human birth is extraordinarily rare across countless lifetimes, so it should be used for dharma and liberation-oriented practice rather than wasted in mere sense pursuits.
By stressing the rarity of human life and spiritual alertness, it implies urgency: once human birth is gained, one should turn the awakened mind toward Hari/Vishnu-bhakti and steady sādhana to reach the highest goal.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is the sādhana-priority principle—use the human condition for disciplined practice (niyama, vrata, japa) aimed at moksha.