Honor the Rare Gift of Being Human
Contemplating the Deeper Meaning of a Birthday
We live in times of immense turbulence — a world where violence, injustice, and impropriety often cloud the human spirit. In such an atmosphere, it is natural to wonder: What meaning does a single life hold? How do we honor our existence when so much around us seems broken?
For me, birthdays have long been a quiet time of personal reflection — not a day of loud celebration. I also know friends who say they preferred to make their birthday a complete non-event — just another day— not to engage in any form of celebration.
But this year, I found myself embracing a different posture — one of gratitude. I decided to view my birthday as a celebration not just of existence, but of the profound grace that life itself represents. This article is born out of that spirit: a meditation on the deeper meaning of life, inspired by the wisdom of Vedanta, Advaita, and Buddhist philosophy.
And so I return to a timeless verse from Adi Shankaracharya's Viveka Chudamani, verse 3, where he speaks of three rare gifts:
दुर्लभं त्रयमेवैतद्दैवानुग्रहहेतुकम् ।
मनुष्यत्वं मुमुक्षुत्वं महापुरुषसंश्रयः ॥
Transliteration
"Durlabham trayam evaitad daivānugraha-hetukam:
manushyatvam, mumukshutvam, mahapurusha-samshrayah."
Meaning
"Rare indeed are these three — a human birth, a yearning for liberation, and the company of noble souls."
The Gift of Human Birth
A Vessel for Awakening
Among the countless forms of life, manushyatvam — to be born as a human is extraordinary — not for reasons of pride, but for possibility. Only in human life is there the capacity for self-awareness, to ask not merely how to live, but why we live.
In the midst of a world full of suffering, confusion, and distraction, the simple fact that we can question, aspire, and awaken is itself miraculous.
Birthdays are a reminder:
This human birth is a torch given to me. Let me not allow it to flicker in vain.
The Desire for Liberation
A Hidden Fire
Shankaracharya teaches that human birth alone is not enough. Rarer still is the mumukshutva — the deep inner longing for liberation / spirituality, for truth beyond the ephemeral pleasures and pains of the world.
From a Buddhist perspective, this is called the arising of bodhicitta—the mind that seeks awakening not just for oneself, but for all beings.
This longing is not something we can fabricate. It arises like a hidden ember within, quietly but persistently, asking:
Is there not more to life than survival and accumulation?
Is there a deeper freedom waiting to be uncovered?
Birthdays are a time to reflect:
Has this fire been nourished? Can I fan its flames with renewed sincerity?
The Company of Noble Souls
Mirrors of the Higher Self
The journey inward, however, is not meant to be walked alone. Mahapurusha-samshrayah — the grace of being in the company of noble souls whose lives embody the light of wisdom — is the third rare gift that Shankaracharya speaks of.
To encounter a great teacher, a fellow seeker, or even a sincere conversation that stirs the soul—these are not coincidences. They are blessings that guide the traveler across the vast ocean of life.
Throughout my life, I have been blessed to encounter teachers, friends, and strangers whose words, deeds, and mere presence have stirred something greater within me. I have become ever more conscientious of the company I keep.
My heart bows in gratitude to every soul who, knowingly or unknowingly, has illuminated my path.
The Meaning of Celebration
In the past, I hesitated to "celebrate" my birthday, feeling that silent reflection was a better tribute to life’s seriousness. But today, I see it differently.
To celebrate is not to indulge; it is to recognize the rarest of gifts —
This precious life.
The yearning for meaning.
The companions along the way.
To celebrate with gratitude is itself a form of sacred reflection, a way of saying:
I see the grace that moves through this life, and I bow to it
A Birthday Benediction
As the Dhammapada reminds us:
Rare is birth as a human being.
Hard is the life of mortals.
Difficult is the hearing of the true Dharma.
Rare is the arising of the awakened
And as the Bhagavad Gita (7.3) teaches:
मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।
यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥
Transliteration:
manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye |
yatatām api siddhānāṃ kaścin māṃ vetti tattvataḥ ||
Meaning:
"Among thousands of men, one perhaps strives for perfection; and among those who strive and succeed, only one perhaps knows Me in truth”
To celebrate a birthday in this light is not to mark another year, but to honor a sacred opportunity — this moment of awareness, this chance to awaken.
Let each birthday become a recommitment — not to the noise of the world,
but to the silent, patient flowering of the soul.
May we remember.
May we aspire.
May we awaken.
References:
Lectures, virtual and in-person, by Vedanta Society of Northern California (in SF)
Viveka-Chudamani Lectures (archive) (text) - Fridays at 7:30pm US PST
Buddhism Lectures (archive)- Sunday at 6pm US PST
Details at http://www.SFVedanta.org