Bhagavad Gita BG 15.16
Chapter 15, Verse 16 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च । क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते ॥
dvav imau purushau loke ksharas cakshara eva ca kshharah sarvani bhutani kutastho 'kshara ucyate
Meaning
There are two Purushas in the world: the perishable (Kshara) and the imperishable (Akshara). All beings are the Kshara; the Kutastha (the unchanging, the anvil-like) is called the Akshara.
Understanding
The Ch15 metaphysical framework: two Purushas. (1) Kshara (the perishable/mutable) — sarvani bhutani (all beings, all manifestations). Everything that changes, comes into being and passes. (2) Akshara (the imperishable/immutable) — kutastha (literally 'standing like an anvil' — firm, unchanging). The kutastha is the unmanifest, the akshara, the unchanging ground (closely related to the avyakta of earlier chapters). These two are both within the cosmic reality — and beyond both is the Purushottama.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| क्षरः | ksharah | the perishable, the mutable (kshara = that which perishes) |
| अक्षरः | aksharah | the imperishable, the immutable |
| कूटस्थः | kutasthah | standing firm like an anvil, the unchanging |
| द्वौ | dvau imau | these two |
| पुरुषौ | puruṣau | persons, beings |
| लोके | loke | in the world |
| क्षरः | kṣaraḥ | the perishable (kshara) |
| च | ca | and |
| अक्षरः | akṣara eva ca | and the imperishable |
| क्षरः | kṣaraḥ | the perishable |
| सर्वाणि | sarvāṇi | all |
| भूतानि | bhūtāni | beings, creatures |
| कूट-स्थः | kūṭa-sthaḥ | the unchanging, the immovable |
| अक्षरः | akṣaraḥ | the imperishable one |
| उच्यते | ucyate | is called |
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