What is Rare?
Lord Muruga asks, What is rare?
Great saint poetess Auvaiyar answers (in a poetic verse), "Rare is the human birth, rarer still is the human birth interested in wisdom, still rarer is one who is interested in wisdom and possessed of charity and penance."
To have a human birth is itself a rare thing, why? All other living beings are governed by nature. They don’t have the power of discrimination, only human has the discrimination power which provides freedom of living. The evolution ceased with the complex organ of human brain, which helps to sense oneself and to know the true nature.
Even rarer is human birth without deformities like blind, deaf, dumb, etc. Here Auvaiyar insist regarding re-birth that one’s previous deeds helps to acquire a human birth without deformities.
Even after this, one’s life is spent in the feeding their senses. Instead of senses galloping on oneself, one should understand the true nature of universe by controlling their senses through proper seeking in wisdom. So still rarer is the human birth interested in Wisdom.
But then what is the use of gaining that Wisdom, if one is not practicing it. Hence, rarest is the human birth with one possessing charity and penance. Whatever one earns here is meant for sharing and distribution. One should enjoy the world by giving rather than taking. Leading a life with discipline and conduct at a thought level (which constitutes the penance) and rendering a selfless service is the rarest.
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