द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च |
क्षर: सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते || 16||
dvāv imau puruṣhau loke kṣharaśh chākṣhara eva cha
kṣharaḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭa-stho ’kṣhara uchyate
dvau—two; imau—these; puruṣhau—beings; loke—in creation; kṣharaḥ—the perishable; cha—and; akṣharaḥ—the imperishable; eva—even; cha—and; kṣharaḥ—the perishable; sarvāṇi—all; bhūtāni—beings; kūṭa-sthaḥ—the liberated; akṣharaḥ—the imperishable; uchyate—is said
Translation:
There are two beings in the world: the Perishable and the Imperishable. The Perishable comprises all creatures, and the Imperishable is said to be the Unchanging.
Commentary:
Kshara Purusha, Akshara Purusha, and Purushothama – This Discourse deals with these three Purushas. First, the Kshara Purusha is explained. He who identifies himself with the physical body is Kshara Purusha. He who identifies himself with the mind is called Akshara Purusha. Compared with the body which perishes every time it is born, the mind, which endures birth after birth till the moment of liberation (Moksha), is said to be Akshara or Kutasthah (the immovable). This Akshara Purusha (Manobhimani) Jiva is not the same as the Akshara Parabrahman described in the 8th Discourse. These are poles apart. Brahman is the original Sun and the Jiva is the reflection of the Sun in water. The Jiva mentioned here is different from Brahman of the 8th discourse. In the coming verse, the Lord describes Purusha who is different from Kshara Purusha and the Akshara Purusha (Jiva) who is the reflected consciousness of Paramatma in the body.
Question: Who are the Purushas in the world?
Answer: They are two, the Kshara Purusha and the Akshara Purusha.
Question: Who is the Kshara Purusha?
Answer: The bodies (upadhis) are said to be Kshara Purushas.
Question: Who is the Akshara Purusha?
Answer: The Jiva.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 15 🔻 (20 Verses)
