Know what changes and what does not change.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
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||
Use this verse for permanent-vs-changing reflection.
Meaning
There are two kinds of beings in the world: the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are perishable, while the unchanging is called imperishable.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna distinguishes the perishable and the imperishable.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
The verse prepares the final teaching of Purushottama. Material beings and forms are perishable, while the unchanging spiritual principle is imperishable.
Read the traditional 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.
In daily life
Do not build identity only on perishable things.
A person attached to appearance, title, or status can remember that these belong to the perishable side.
Try this today
List one changing thing and one deeper unchanging value.
I seek the imperishable beyond the changing.Reflect
What am I treating as permanent though it is perishable?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘क्षरः च अक्षरः’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on purusha, in other chapters
- Verse 8.4The Lord of all sacrifice dwells within your own body, so every offering reaches the Divine seated in your heart.
- Verse 2.11True wisdom involves understanding what is actually worth grieving over — and recognizing that most of our grief is rooted in attachment to impermanence.
- Verse 5.22Pleasures from sense-contact begin and end, and their ending breeds pain — the wise don't stake their joy on what won't last.
- Verse 7.6All that is born and all that dissolves rests in the one Source — so meet creation and loss alike with steady trust.
Swipe left for 15.17 · The Supreme Person sustains all worlds.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 15.16
Who says Bhagavad Gita 15.16, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 15.16, in Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga (Purushottama Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 15.16 mean?
There are two kinds of beings in the world: the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are perishable, while the unchanging is called imperishable. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 15.16 for daily life?
Do not build identity only on perishable things. A person attached to appearance, title, or status can remember that these belong to the perishable side.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 15.16 mean?
द्वौ इमौ पुरुषौ — these two Purushas (persons); लोके — in this world; क्षरः च अक्षरः — the perishable and the imperishable; क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि — the perishable is all beings; कूटस्थः — the unchanging / immovable.
Where does verse 15.16 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 16 of 20 in Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga. The next verse is 15.17.