द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च । क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते ॥ १६ ॥
dvāv imau puruṣhau loke kṣharaśh chākṣhara eva cha kṣharaḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭa-stho ’kṣhara uchyate
Translation
There are two kinds of persons in this world, the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are perishable; the unchanging is called imperishable.
Hindi Meaning (हिंदी अर्थ)
इस संसार में दो प्रकार के पुरुष हैं, क्षर (नाशवान) और अक्षर (अविनाशी)। सब प्राणियों के शरीर क्षर हैं, और कूटस्थ (अपरिवर्तनशील) जीवात्मा अक्षर कहा जाता है।
Commentary
Here begins the teaching that gives the chapter its name. Kshara, "the perishable," is everything embodied and changing. Akshara, "the imperishable," is described as kuta-stha, unchanging. Commentators differ on what it means: the individual soul (many devotional readings), liberated souls, or the unmanifest root of nature (Shankara). Either way, it is not yet the highest.
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