Shloka 29
Nārada’s Arrival, the Nine Yogendras, and the Foundations of Bhāgavata-dharma
दुर्लभो मानुषो देहो देहिनां क्षणभङ्गुर: । तत्रापि दुर्लभं मन्ये वैकुण्ठप्रियदर्शनम् ॥ २९ ॥
durlabho mānuṣo deho dehināṁ kṣaṇa-bhaṅguraḥ tatrāpi durlabhaṁ manye vaikuṇṭha-priya-darśanam
جانداروں کے لیے انسانی جسم نہایت دشوار سے ملتا ہے اور پل بھر میں چھن بھی سکتا ہے۔ پھر بھی میرے خیال میں ویکنٹھ ناتھ کو عزیز خالص بھکتوں کی صحبت و دیدار اس سے بھی زیادہ نایاب ہے۔
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the word dehinām means bahavo dehā bhavanti yeṣāṁ te, “the conditioned souls, who accept innumerable material bodies.” According to some wishful thinkers a living entity in the human form of life will never be degraded to a lower form such as that of an animal or plant. But despite this wishful thinking, it is a fact that according to our activities at the present, we will be elevated or degraded by the laws of God. At the present time in human society there is no clear or precise understanding of the nature of life. Foolish scientists have invented highly sophisticated terminologies and theories to bluff innocent people into believing that life comes from chemical reactions. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda has exposed this bluff in his book Life Comes from Life, which points out that although scientists claim that life comes from chemicals, they cannot produce so much as an insect, even from unlimited quantities of chemicals. Actually, life and consciousness are symptoms of the spirit soul.
FAQs
This verse states that the human body is extremely rare among embodied beings, and it is also momentary and fragile—therefore it should be used urgently for spiritual realization.
Because mere human birth does not guarantee devotion; true vision of the Lord comes through sincere bhakti and divine mercy, which are rarer than the human opportunity itself.
Treat time as precious: prioritize sādhana (hearing, chanting, remembering), seek saintly association, and make life choices that increase devotion rather than postponing spiritual practice.