2 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 6
Sri-prahrada uvdca
kaumara dcaret prajro
dharman bhagavatan iha
durlabharh manusam janma
tad apy adhruvam arthadam

$ri-prahradah uvaca—Prahlada Maharaja said; kaumdrah—in the
tender age of childhood; dcaret—should practice; prdjfiah—one who is
intelligent; dharman—occupational duties; bhagavatan—which are
devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; iha—in this
life; durlabham—very rarely obtained; manusam—human; janma—
birth; tat—that; api—even; adhruvam—impermanent, temporary;
artha-dam—full of meaning.

TRANSLATION

Prahlada Maharaja said: One who is sufficiently intelligent
should use the human form of body from the very beginning of
life—in other words, from the tender age of childhood—to prac-
tice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engage-
ments. The human body is most rarely achieved, and although
temporary like other bodies, it is meaningful because in human
life one can perform devotional service. Even a slight amount of
sincere devotional service can give one complete perfection.

PURPORT

The whole purpose of Vedic civilization and of reading the Vedas is to
attain the perfect stage of devotional service in the human form of life.
According to the Vedic system, therefore, from the very beginning of life
the brahmacarya system is introduced so that from one’s very child-
hood—from the age of five years—one can practice modifying one’s
human activities so as to engage perfectly in devotional service. As con-
firmed in Bhagavad-gita (2.40), svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate
mahato bhayat: “Even a little advancement on this path can protect one
from the most dangerous type of fear.” Modern civilization, not refer-
ring to the verdicts of Vedic literature, is so cruel to the members of
human society that instead of teaching children to become brahmacaris,
