How Fortunate You Are
A human body is given to a soul after countless births, so says the Mahabharat. Let us try to understand the value of this powerful vehicle that we possess. Out of the 8.4 million species of life, it is only in a human body that one can practice devotion and acquire spiritual wealth. All other species do not have the freedom to perform actions, and are therefore restricted to bearing the fruits of their past actions. Only in a human body do we have the freedom of action.
Even so, this human body is still condemnable. After death, for example, it cannot be used for any other purpose. As a last rite, if the human body is not burnt, buried or thrown into a river it soon becomes repugnant and putrid; fertile ground for the spread of many diseases. In contrast, the bodies of other creatures such as cows, buffalo, deer and even lions can be put to good use after their demise. No sooner the soul departs does the human body start to decay and decompose.
Nevertheless, such a despicable body with all its associated demerits is still considered the rarest of all bodies, and the most exalted. Why? Because it is only in this human body that we can perform spiritual practice and attain God. Only by attaining God can one attain infinite and eternal happiness. It is the only species in which we can mend our miserable condition by practicing devotion.
You will be surprised to know that this human body is desired by celestial gods. Though we worship them and in sacrificial ceremonies offer our oblations, it is they who desire a human body. Celestial pleasures are much greater than worldly pleasures, but celestials cannot perform fruit yielding actions. Once their meritorious actions are exhausted, they must return to this mundane world.
Yet ironically, we do not value this body and continue to procrastinate in our spiritual practice. We make plans and put things off instead, “I am only four years old, six years old, forty years old.” We forget the transient nature of this body and that there is no assurance of even the next moment. The soul will have to wander in the 8.4 million life forms for countless lives before receiving the human birth again.
You must have seen bubbles of water on the surface of a river. One bubble rises up and sits on the water for some time, only to burst the next moment. Then another bubble appears, and that too soon dissipates. Our life is exactly like that bubble; here one moment and gone the next. If you remembered this truth, then neither would you expect anything from this world, nor would you form any worldly desires or be victimized by anger, greed, and so on.
Understand the grace that God has bestowed upon you by granting this human body and do not procrastinate in your spiritual practice. Realise how fortunate you are and spend time practicing devotion and earn spiritual merit that will take you closer to God-realisation.
Spirituality in Daily Living, Vol. 4, p16–19
Kripalu Bhaktiyoga Tattvadarshan, Vedic knowledge revealed by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu ji Maharaj and presented in English by Dr Vishakha Tripathi, president of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat.
