Gita 15.16
Purushottama Yoga
द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च | क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते ||१६||
dvāv imau puruṣau loke kṣaraś cākṣara eva ca | kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭa-stho 'kṣara ucyate ||16||
In essence: Two Purushas exist in this world—the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are the perishable; the unchanging is called the imperishable.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "I understand the perishable—everything I see changes and dies. But what exactly is the 'imperishable' that remains unchanged?"
Guru: "Consider: when a wave subsides, does the ocean disappear? The kṣara is like waves—particular forms arising and dissolving. The akṣara is like the ocean—the unmanifest substrate from which all waves arise and into which they return. Or think of it as the totality of jiva-consciousness: individual jivas may take different bodies (perishable), but the principle of jiva-hood persists (imperishable)."
Sadhak: "If the akṣara is imperishable and unchanging, is that the ultimate goal? Should I seek to become akṣara?"
Guru: "Many seekers aim for akṣara—the realization of the unchanging witness, the escape from perishable forms. But listen carefully to the next verses. Krishna will reveal a level beyond akṣara: the Purushottama, the Supreme Person who transcends both perishable and imperishable. Akṣara is high, but not the highest. The goal is Purushottama—and He is now about to declare Himself."
Sadhak: "Why are both called 'purusha'? I thought purusha meant the conscious self?"
Guru: "Purusha here has a broader meaning: the principle that is the locus of experience or existence. All beings (kṣara purusha) are experiencers, conscious entities in various forms. The imperishable (akṣara purusha) is the collective conscious principle that persists beyond particular forms. Both are 'purusha' in the sense of being related to consciousness, not mere inert matter."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Upon waking, notice the perishable: the sensations of the body, the transient thoughts, the changing light. Then sense into something that does not change: the awareness that witnesses all change. This is a taste of the kṣara-akṣara distinction. Rest briefly in the unchanging before engaging with the changing.
When the perishable disappoints—as it inevitably does through loss, impermanence, failure—remember that there is an imperishable dimension within you. This is not escapism but perspective. You are both the changing and the witness of change. Let this recognition bring stability amidst the flux of daily life.
Reflect on the day's changes: energy fluctuated, moods shifted, situations evolved. All kṣara. What did not change? The capacity to be aware, the presence that witnessed the entire day. Fall asleep resting in the akṣara, the unchanging, while the kṣara (body and mind) surrenders to rest.