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Chapter 15 · Verse 16 · Purushottama Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 15.16

philosophical Self & Identity Jnana & Wisdom Moksha & Liberation

Sanskrit

द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च।क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते।।15.16।।

Transliteration

dvāv imau puruṣhau loke kṣharaśh chākṣhara eva cha kṣharaḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭa-stho ’kṣhara uchyate

Word by Word

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
Simplified Perspective

Krishna reveals the cosmic architecture of existence: two orders of being inhabit creation. The perishable encompasses all changing forms—bodies, minds, worlds in flux—while the imperishable stands as the eternal, unchanging witness beyond all transformation.

This teaching shatters the illusion that you are merely the body or even the individual consciousness; it invites you to recognize yourself as the immutable Self observing the dance of change. In daily life, this discrimination becomes your anchor: when loss, aging, or circumstance shake you, remember you are the unchanging awareness witnessing these events, not the events themselves.

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Bhagavad Gita 15.16 — BG 15.16

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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