dvāv imau puruṣau loke kṣaraś cākṣara eva ca kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭa-stho 'kṣara ucyate
"There are two persons in the world, the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are the perishable; the unchanging is called the imperishable."
What This Means:
There are two categories of purusha (person/being): the perishable (kshara), all manifest beings, and the imperishable (akshara), the unchanging witness. Bodies perish; the witnessing consciousness doesn't.
Going Deeper:
'Dvau imau puruṣau', these two persons/categories. 'Kṣaraḥ', the perishable, changing. 'Akṣaraḥ', the imperishable, unchanging. 'Kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni', all beings are perishable (the manifest world). 'Kūṭa-sthaḥ akṣaraḥ ucyate', the unchanging (witness, like an anvil, kūṭa, that remains stable while being struck) is called imperishable. This sets up the revelation of the third, highest category.
How To Apply This:
You participate in both: your body-mind is kshara (changing daily), but your awareness is akshara (the same awareness you had as a child). Can you identify with the unchanging rather than the changing?
Key Sanskrit Terms: