Vivekachudamani 2

जन्तूनां नरजन्म दुर्लभमतः पुंस्त्वं ततो विप्रता तस्माद्वैदिकधर्ममार्गपरता विद्वत्त्वमस्मात्परम् । आत्मानात्मविवेचनं स्वनुभवो ब्रह्मात्मना संस्थितिः मुक्तिर्नो शतजन्मकोटिसुकृतैः पुण्यैर्विना लभ्यते ॥ २ ॥ 

jantūnāṃ narajanma durlabhamataḥ puṃstvaṃ tato vipratā 
tasmādvaidikadharmamārgaparatā vidvattvamasmātparam | 
ātmānātmavivecanaṃ svanubhavo brahmātmanā saṃsthitiḥ 
muktirno śatajanmakoṭisukṛtaiḥ puṇyairvinā labhyate || 

For all beings a human birth is difficult to obtain, more so is a male body; rarer than that is Brahmin-hood; rarer still is the attachment to the path of Vedic religion; higher than this is erudition in the scriptures; discrimination between the Self and not-Self, Realisation, and continuing in a state of identity with Brahman – these come next in order. (This kind of) Mukti (Liberation) is not to be attained except through the well-earned merits of a hundred crore of births.