We have heard our saints tell us that human birth is rare to come by and ask that we cherish it. Sankara lists human birth first among the three rarest gifts obtained through God's grace: human birth; the longing for liberation; and discipleship to an illumined teacher. Just as Sankara mentions yearning and longing for liberation is rare, and the opportunity to become enlightened and break the shackles of birth and death, that comes along as a result of this longing, is very very rare, in “Atma” - “Reincarnation: The Soul’s Secret Journey”, The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, The International Society For Krishna Consciousness, it is mentioned,
“In one human life, we can create sufficient karma to keep ourselves entangled in the cycle of birth and death for thousands of lives. As human beings we also have the rare opportunity to become spiritually enlightened with transcendental knowledge and the chance to break the endless cycle of reincarnation. It can take many lives, or you can do it in one lifetime.”
In "Karma and Reincarnation - An Inspired Talk by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, Satguru explains the reason for taking rebirth.
"Because certain seed karmas can only be resolved in earth consciousness and because the soul’s initial realizations of Absolute Reality are only achieved in a physical body, our soul joyously enters another biological body. At the right time, it is reborn into a flesh body that will best fulfill its karmic pattern."
The grand old lady saint Avvai too regards this birth as very auspicious and rare. She says, "“Rare indeed is to take human birth, rarer than that is to be born with a perfect human form, sight, hearing, and speech. Among them, it is rare to see one who does austerities and charity. When one does austerities and charity the gates to Godhead are opened.”
To be born a human is a gift. Shantideva describes human birth as a rare gift.
- Shantideva says, “Only as a human can you be devoted to God, the creator.”
- He explains further, “The human body is the vehicle for longevity, while the spirit is the vehicle for immortality.”
- Shantideva reminds us not to waste a rare opportunity to devote ourselves to God.
- He says, “This human leisure, opportunities, and faculties are very rare to obtain and easily lost.”
- Finally, he questions us, “If one squanders the chance to fulfill the aim of human life, how will such an opportunity arise again?”
The great Saint Sundardas wrote,
“You have attained this human body through God’s grace. You cannot attain it over and over again. This human body is a priceless jewel. Do not throw it away.” (Source: "Where are you Going? - A Guide to the Spiritual Journey", by Swami Muktananda, Published by Syda Foundation, 1989)
Swami Chidvilasananda echoes the words of these masters,
“The Indian scriptures teach that earth is the place where you come to work out all your karma, the consequences of your actions, both good and bad. This is where you have the opportunity to learn the greatest lessons and ascend to the highest awareness. Even celestial beings want to take birth in this place. It is the work of the saints to awaken people from samsara, the world of the wandering, from this chakra, this wheel, the cycle of birth and death.’’ (Source: "Inner Treasures" by Swami Chidvilasananda, a Siddha Yoga Publication, 1995)
This human birth doesn't come easy. Agathiyar says to be born as a human, one needs sufficient merits or punyam, in the very first place. Simply said, it is as if we have to collect points in our daily activities and redeem them in exchange for another human birth.
Milarepa says of the body,
I have understood this body of mine to be the product of ignorance, composed of flesh and blood and lit up by the perceptive power of consciousness. To those fortunate ones who long for emancipation it may be the great vessel by which they may procure Freedom. But to the unfortunates who only sin, it may be the guide to lower and miserable states of existence. This our life is the boundary mark whence one may take an upward or downward path. Our present time is a most precious time, wherein each of us must decide, in one way or other, for lasting good or lasting ill. - (Source: https://www.ramdass.org/ - Milarepa’s Initial Realizations)
The Siddhas worked to keep their Udal or body, Uyir or breath, and Atma or soul intact by numerous means such as connecting with the earth by taking herbal preparations or Kaya Kapha, connecting to the Prapanjam through pranayama and boosting the life-giving prana, and connecting with the Paramatma gaining Atma Balam or Soul Power.
Mellan Thomas Benedict who survived death shares his experience.
"What I learned and what I believe to this day is that the physical body that we live in actually gives us the most beautiful vehicle ever imagined to experience time and space and to experience the universe in ways that cannot be experienced by you in spirit."
We have come a long way evolving from the lowest species to taking on a human birth. From “Atma” - “Reincarnation: The Soul’s Secret Journey”, The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, The International Society For Krishna Consciousness, we gather an idea about the manifestation of the various species.
“All species are manifested in the early stages of cosmic creation, when the living entities (souls) are impregnated within material nature. These indestructible and eternal souls gradually evolve through the different species or types of material bodies, beginning with microbes and amoebas, rising through the fish, plants, insects, reptiles, birds and animals to the human and superhuman (demi Gods) species. So the evolution process is really an evolution of consciousness.”
Manickavasagar lists the numerous births we had to take in the song "Sivapuranam" from his "Tiruvasagam",
“Having taken all these life forms to achieve his present state vis birth as grass, worm, trees, various animals, stones, rocks and pebbles, various creatures, asuras, and devas, and having exhausted myself in doing so, I found the truth to exist under your feet and thus I entered your home, my Lord.”
Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami says,
"During our thousands of earth lives, a remarkable variety of life patterns are experienced. We exist as male and female, often switching back and forth from life to life as the nature becomes more harmonized into a person exhibiting both feminine nurturing and masculine intrepid-ness. We come to earth as princesses and presidents, as paupers and pirates, as tribals and scientists, as murderers and healers, as atheists and, ultimately, God-Realized sages. We take bodies of every race and live the many religions, faiths and philosophies as the soul gains more knowledge and evolutionary experience."
Mellan Thomas Benedict too reveals the same,
"Every human today has worked their way up from primordial into being the top of the DNA chain. Our DNA is really the book of life on the planet. Every human being alive today has been everything this planet has been so far. We are the sum total of everything that has happened on this planet and a great creation."
"The human body is so very subtle. no two atoms even touch. We are more spirit than flesh."
We are told that we are connected with the rest of creation. The scriptures and sacred texts speak about this. Mellan Thomas Benedict says,
"The ancients tried to tell us not to separate from nature and the planet."
The coming of the Siddha era has been a hot topic in the Siddha circles. Mellan Thomas Benedict says,
"We start having true contact not mysterious fuzzy pictures and all that and what we learn from these other civilizations speeds us along so quickly it is astounding what comes to us."
Mellan Thomas Benedict speaks about star seeding that is the talk of the town in some circles. But Agathiyar has not spoken to us about preparing another world for chosen ones to inhabit. He never gathered selected Atmas to come together and seclude themselves as in communes. He is still working on removing the impurities and toxins both in our bodies and thoughts. He has given us Yogic practices and comes often to keep a check. He asked us to do charity that brings the compassion that is veiled in us to the open. He wants us to extend our hand to all those in need. He brings people together whence the love that is veiled in us is brought into the open. He brings the self-knowledge that is veiled in us to the open and has us share it with others. He has no idea to make us turavis or mendicants but instead wants us to propagate the path to the family and its circle too.
To those on the verge of giving up life, Mellan has this to say, "Even the worst day of your life is filled with potential." He gives us hope and paints a good future for us and the world we live in.
Mellan Thomas Benedict says all souls are pure in the eyes of God. Agathiyar too often says that he only sees our Atma and not the person or our gender, race or faith, and religion. He works on us to elevate our Atma that separated from the Paramatma and teamed up with the Udal and Uyir to care for the child from the day it was conceived to a time when his or her "I" arises. Staying around with the child for some time it goes behind the veil once our "I" begins to reign and rule us. Later in life when the time is right where we have exhausted all the karma that we had brought along it shows itself. For some, it comes to aid in showing us ways and means to rid our karma. It shows us the path to take that would bring on the effulgence and light within us, empowering it with the brilliance, strength, and power at par with the Paramatma.
We are a body of light. As it is there is electricity in us. We need to charge the cells in us to attain the effulgence and luminosity of Arutpernjothi or the Divine Light. Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal want us to return the sparkle to the cells and ignite it to become an immense flame or a Jothi Udampu or Oli Deham or Light body. We have read that the transformation that Ramalinga Adigal went through involved the actual reversal of the gross particles that make up the physical body eventually transforming into light particles. The Siddhas are in the form of Light we are told. When Swami Jeganathar went into samadhi it was reported that his body emitted light as the light was seen coming out of the samadhi. Mellan Thomas Benedict speaks on this,
"You have heard many people say that they see a light leave when the person dies. Well, that is proven now scientifically. When your cells start dying they give up their biophotons and you are emitting light until every cell in your body has completely deteriorated. So you are giving off a light."
As Milarepa says, man has to decide his fate, "This our life is the boundary mark whence one may take an upward or downward path. Our present time is a most precious time, wherein each of us must decide, in one way or other, for lasting good or lasting ill", Mellan Thomas too speaks on the present moment, "The only time you have is now the ever-expanding now." We have chosen to freeze time into distinctive divisions, as the past, present, and future forgetting that the universe is ever-expanding. The present quickly moves back into the past. The future is equally quick to move into the present. We have to keep up with time.
The body is a necessary and great vessel to attain emancipation. Do it misuse it. Let go of our ideas for the body and instead take on the purpose that the Divine gave us this wonderful body.