The Yoga of Meditation

Krishna continues explaining the favorable rebirths. 'Athavā yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām'—or alternatively (athavā), he is born (bhavati) into a family (kule) of wise (dhīmatām) yogis (yoginām) indeed (eva). This means: instead of being born into a pure and prosperous family, such a person might be born into a family of yogis—spiritual practitioners, wise teachers, those who understand yoga. This is an even more favorable birth—surrounded by yogis, learning from yogis, supported by yogis. 'Etad dhi durlabhataraṁ loke janma yad īdṛśam'—indeed (hi), this (etat) birth (janma) which (yat) is of this kind (īdṛśam) is more rare (durlabhataram) in the world (loke). This means: being born into a family of yogis is very rare—it's a special blessing, a rare opportunity. This shows how valuable sincere effort is—even if you fail, you get rare, favorable circumstances. Your effort doesn't just benefit you—it gives you exceptional opportunities, rare blessings, special circumstances to continue your practice.