Chapter 15, Verse 16
द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च | क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते ||१५-१६||
dvāvimau puruṣau loke kṣaraścākṣara eva ca . kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭastho.akṣara ucyate ||15-16||
Meaning
15.16 Two Purushas there are in this world, the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are the perishable and the Kutastha the unchanging is called the imperishable.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna now offers a precise philosophical map of existence, naming two puruṣas or fundamental principles. The first is kṣara, the perishable — comprising all beings and forms that arise, change, and pass away. Everything we see in the changing world, including our bodies, belongs to this perishable order. The second is akṣara, the imperishable — described as kūṭastha, the unchanging, the silent and steady ground that does not waver amid all the flux.
This distinction helps the seeker locate themselves correctly. We habitually anchor our identity in the perishable — our bodies, possessions, roles, and circumstances — and so we suffer when these inevitably change. The teaching invites us to recognize an unchanging dimension of reality that underlies the shifting one. Yet Krishna does not stop here; this twofold scheme is deliberately incomplete, setting the stage for the supreme revelation of the next verses, where a third and highest reality is unveiled.
💡 Key Takeaway
Beyond the ever-changing world of beings lies an unchanging, imperishable reality.
Related Verses
उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युधाहृतः | यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वरः ||१५-१७||
uttamaḥ puruṣastvanyaḥ paramātmetyudhāhṛtaḥ . yo lokatrayamāviśya bibhartyavyaya īśvaraḥ ||15-17||
15.17 But distinct is the Supreme Purusha called the highest Self, the indestructible Lord Who, pervading the three worlds, sustains them.